The Taraba State Government says it invests in science education to encourage young inventors from the state to compete favourably in science innovations and creativity at the national and global stage.
The State Commissioner of Science and Technology, Hon. Usman Muslim Aruwa, disclosed this yesterday in an interview with LEADERSHIP in Jalingo.
He said the state government has procured and distributed 126 science kits across basic and post-schools to address the state’s lack of science equipment.
The Commissioner noted that providing the science kits motivated students when taken on practical aspects, especially in rural areas.
“The state government intends to discover young innovators and inventors, who will compete at the global stage in science and technology, innovation and creativity.”
He explained that the Catch Them Young programme, an initiative of the state government, called Junior Engineers Technicians and Science Club (JETSC), was to expose the students to pick up an interest in science-related subjects without stress.
“This club at the basic schools help our students develop innovation, ideas and creativity. We catch them young by initiating the programme to enable them to enter the sciences.
“The importance of research at the tertiary institutions is to solve the problem of the immediate community.
While commending Governor Kefas’s foresight in bridging the gap in science education between institutions and industry, the Commissioner said, “There is a technology transfer between Universities and industries.”
According to Hon. Aruwa, the state is already enjoying the Federal government’s intellectual property policy and the support of other agencies to compete favourably in the labour market.
“Collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology will protect any research work in our tertiary institutions.
“This is the kind of thing we are doing, so that at the end of the day, Taraba State has competitive products in the labour market.
