A former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola, has launched another method for delivering quality Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education.

The new approach, the “Model-And-Surpass Pedagogy was officially unveiled at the 2025 international conference of the International Research Group, co-hosted by the Commonwealth Association of Science, Technology and Mathematics Educators, which ended on September 18, according to a statement issued on Sunday.

Okebukola, who, in 1992, emerged as the first African to win the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Communication and Popularisation of Science, invented the Model-And-Surpass Pedagogy, which was formally presented to the global education community by Professor Jomo Mutegi, a past President of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching an international organisation headquartered in the US for promoting quality science education.

At the ceremony were participants from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Burundi, Ghana, Finland, Nigeria, The Gambia, Mauritius and Sierra Leone.

Okebulola, who was also a former Chairman of the Governing Council of the National Open University of Nigeria, said: “My motivation for inventing methodologies for teaching science, which won me the 1992 UNESCO Prize, is based on the overload of methods of teaching developed by non-Africans, which are not fit for purpose for the African cultural context.

“The impression is always given that the method must be developed by the West to be right. Our researchers gleefully deploy these ‘oyibo’ methods and fail to look inwards to innovate in developing and researching socio-culturally relevant approaches to teaching.

“Additionally, the lacklustre performance of our students in STEM can be attributed, at least in part, to this method’s mismatch. The overriding goal of my efforts is to elevate achievement in and improve the attitude of our students towards STEM.”

Okebukola recalled that in 2015, after over 40 years of research, he invented the Culturo-Techno-Contextual Approach and developed the Okebukola Eco-Techno Cultural Theory.

He added, “In the last ten years, CTCA has gained global prominence and is now in use in many African countries and several countries in Asia, Europe and North America.

“Its efficacy in improving students’ performance in science and non-science subjects has been confirmed by numerous studies.

“The second method I just developed is the Model-And-Surpass Pedagogy. This is based on the framework of students modelling great scientists and striving to surpass them.

“Groups report their conclusions on the two scientists; Each student should note the attributes of the two scientists he/she wishes to model and surpass; Teacher introduces the topic of the lesson and presents it as much as possible, through the lens of the two great scientists; As the lesson progresses, students are engaged by the teacher in interactive discussion on the topic in line with the lesson objectives and content.

“Practical activities should be encouraged through experiments. Students are to share their thoughts on how they intend to model and surpass the scientists in relation to the topic. Teacher makes notes on the board during the lesson, and the Lesson closes with a summary, short evaluation questions and a request for students to submit their notes before the next class on the content learned/experiments in relation to what they modelled and wished to surpass in the two scientists.

Speaking about the next steps, Okebukola noted, “Work has started in earnest to test MSP. A team of researchers from four African countries (Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia and Sierra Leone) from the Africa Centre of Excellence for Innovative and Transformative STEM Education (ACEITSE) of Lagos State University are initiating a series of studies to test the efficacy of the pedagogy.

“The goal is to ensure that MSP contributes to the attainment of the African Union’s Agenda 2063- The Africa We Want. The days of Africa playing second fiddle in STEM enterprise will soon be over.

“This is not the last bus stop in our quest for homegrown methods of teaching. As the founder of the National Association of Artificial Intelligence Practitioners, I am leading a team of researchers, including Dr. Adekunle Ibrahim Oladejo, Dr. Franklin Onowugbeda, Dr. Olasunkanmi Gbeleyi, Dr. Deborah Agbanimu and Dr. Esther Peter, to work with Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede (President of NAAIP) to develop a teaching approach that rests on AI framework.

“This will immerse the use of AI within the African socio-cultural context. I assure you, the coming years will be exciting for Nigerian, indeed African students and teachers at all levels”.

Keynote addresses delivered at the conference were by Professor Jomo Mutegi of Old Dominion University, Virginia, US; Professor Pascal Doh of the University of Turku, Finland; Professor Uchenna Maristella Nzewi of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; and Professor Shari Watkins of The American University, Washington DC. Fellowship Awards were given to Dr. Sue Dale Tunnicliffe, the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of CASTME; Professor Juma Shabani of the University of Burundi; Professor Ibiyinka Ogunlade of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti; and Professor Emeritus Peter A. Okebukola of Lagos State University. (PUNCH)