A student receiving an award
Mezzo House Limited has celebrated the International Day of Mathematics and World Maths Day in Accra. The celebration is on the theme: “Playing with Maths.”
Mezzo Maths is a programme designed to foster, collaborate and renovate maths education in the country and beyond.
Speaking at the event, the Subject Head for Maths (WAEC), Mr. Emmanuel Sakyi-Yeboah, explained that Mathematics is not a difficult subject, but one of the easiest subjects studied in schools, stressing that maths is an add on which does not change.
He added that maths is everything around us which forms part of our daily activities.
He said, “We see it with us every day, every day we buy and sell, and when we do this, we are doing Mathematics. When it is not done properly, we are able to tell that this is not done properly.”
He noted that Ghanaian learners are able to solve questions but are unable to explain.
“We have observed that a lot of Ghanaian learners during exams, they solve questions and write things that perhaps when you show it to them to explain, they cannot explain,” he disclosed.
He appealed to teachers to help students investigate and understand concepts rather than just learning formulas for examination, in order to make the subject easier and interesting to the students.
He further advised students to explore Mathematics beyond what is taught in classroom by their teachers, since the role of their teachers is to guide them in the subject.
“We want you to explore, we want you to learn beyond what the teacher has taught you in the classroom; the teacher is only guiding you in the classroom, we expect you to explore to certain areas,” he stressed.
He urged students to spend time on their weak areas in the subject and not ignore them, as well as practice Mathematics regularly to develop interest, and also do independent work in the classroom.
The CEO of Mezzo House Limited, Bishop Dr. Peter Akoto, also explained that maths is a fundamental tool that shapes our understanding and interaction around us in real life, adding that life activities such as cooking, financial management and decisions relies heavily on Mathematics.
He added that the benefit of Mathematics extends out of the classroom, noting that it is the wheels on which nations thrive.
He stressed that Mathematics is used to analyse economic strengths, manage risks and make informed investment decisions.
The Head of Mathematics Department at the University of Education, Winneba, Dr. A. Frimpong, also stressed that teachers and students should use technological tools and apps such as Photomaths, demos, and PhEt, to help solve and gain visual understanding of the subject.
By Florence Asamoah Adom