#GH4STEM TOP 100 Teacher: Osman Yakubu – Tamale MAIN S.D.A. J.H.S.
Contributing To Ghana's Progress by Teaching STEM. ''[The student’s] acknowledgement and appreciation [of] the impact I’ve made in their lives motivates me a lot.'' -- Osman Yakubu
Mr. Osman Yakubu has been teaching for the past 14 years. He currently teaches about four hundred students. He enjoys watching the news on TV.
Earlier in life, Mr. Yakubu had wanted to be a medical doctor but financial and family issues didn’t allow him to fulfill this dream. Later on due to his admiration for Prof. Francis K. Allotey, he decided that he would become a mathematician. After completing his high school education, his uncle advised him to enroll in teacher training school which he did. He taught at the Primary and Junior High School level before he continued to the university where he studied BSc. Biological Science.
Mr. Yakubu’s love for science is reflected in his study of science at all levels of education: SHS, Training College and University. He explains that, he improves and enhances his knowledge in STEM through research via Google, YouTube and in discussions with others.
He explains that “Studying nature and why things happen in our natural environment inspires me as a STEM educator.” Mr. Yakubu enjoys teaching STEM because of the process of brainstorming where he and his students find solutions to challenging phenomena. This helps them to acquire and enhance their knowledge and skills.
Although Mr. Yakubu admits that he is also motivated by his salary, what motivates him most is the continuous acknowledgement and appreciation he receives from students regarding the impact he has made in their lives.
Mr. Yakubu says that one of the benefits of being an educator is that he feels important because he contributes to the development of the nation by teaching the future generation. He loves being a STEM educator because of his ability to identify the learning challenges of each of his students and treating each of them differently so they can understand/overcome these challenges.
His participation in the JUNEOS Challenge has made him focus on making his lessons practical because he’s realized that it is the most effective way of teaching. This method of teaching has also aroused the interest of his students and they are willing to pursue studies in science. This makes Mr. Yakubu very happy.
Mr. Yakubu hopes that JUNEOS gets more teachers to participate in the challenge and also organizes more workshops to train teachers. He adds that “They could support science teachers to pursue science to higher levels as well as supporting schools with resources to improve practical learning.”
Mr. Yakubu says that he would not hesitate to participate in the JUNEOS Challenge again because it is an avenue to share ideas and acquire knowledge in science. Additionally, it gives teachers information on how to use diverse approaches to teach students in the classroom.
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Kofi Konadu Berko is passionate about education and youth development. He holds a B.A in Adult Education and Human Resource Studies from the University Of Ghana. His works have been published in the historic Afroyoung Adult anthology titled Waterbirds On the Lakeshore, Adabraka: Stories From the Center Of the World, Tampered Press and the Kalahari Review. He blogs at obolokofi.wordpress.com
