Teachers blame failure in mathematics on lack of concentration

Ijebu-Ode (Ogun) Secondary school mathematics teachers have attributed the failure in the subject among students to the lack of concentration and laziness.

A cross-section of the teachers  in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun, on Tuesdaysaid that until the students braced themselves and stopped their lazy attitude, their poor performance in the subject might persist.

The teachers expressed concern over the yearly  poor performance of students in the subject in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE), saying that teachers had been doing their best to encourage the students.

They appealed to parents to also encourage their children by providing the necessary textbooks needed for the subject and also supervise them to work out the subject after school hours.

Mr Akindele Ademola, a  mathematics teacher at the Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, described mathematics as a dynamic
subject that needed “absolute concentration”.

Ademola noted that “if a student wants to excel in the subject, he or she must be ready to go beyond what the teacher teaches in class”.

On his part, Mr Aregbe Olaitan, a teacher at Galaxy Academy, said most students failed the subject because of their playful attitude.

Olaitan, who described mathematics as the simplest subject of all in the SSSCE, added that most students did not have
textbooks to work with at home.

Another teacher, Mr Ibrahim Ali, said desperation on the part of students to pass the subject without necessary preparation was a major factor for the mass failure in the subject, adding that “most students rely on examination malpractice.”

Ali noted that some students also failed the subject because of their bad psychological approach to it.

Also, the quality of teachers teaching the subject was another factor affecting the performance of students in mathematics, he said.

Meanwhile, majority of students who spoke with NAN said mathematics “is too hard to comprehend”.

Master Igbedupe Emmanuel, a Senior Secondary II student at the Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, said: “I don’t like mathematics; it takes a lot of time.

“It is difficult to understand but I work it out at home everyday to improve myself.” (NAN)