Mr. Mohammed Abdul Saboor has been teaching for twelve years and presently, he teaches about one hundred and fifty students. He had always wanted to grow into a responsible man with enough to take care of his family, and it was his belief that being an Agricultural Officer would help him fulfil this responsibility. So after his primary education at Bagabaga Annex primary and Bagabaga Demonstration J.H.S., he continued to study Agricultural Science at the Tamale Islamic Science Secondary School. He did not find it easy due to financial hardships but Mr. Mohammed was determined to succeed. He further went to Tamale Technical University to study Building Technology and then continued with Construction Technology at the University of Education (Kumasi Campus). He is hoping to continue his education by reading for a Masters degree.
Growing up, some of the people who inspired him were his father, and some political figures like Kwame Nkrumah, J.J. Rawlings, Atta Mills and Kojo Baah Wiredu.
On what he likes best about teaching STEM, Mr. Mohammed says that STEM is very practical. With the use of Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) teaching is made easy and innovative and thus adds value to the lives of students. Mr. Mohammed adds that teaching STEM constantly exposes him to new research that broadens his mind. As a result of constantly learning new things, he has become more open-minded.
He explains that one thing that keeps him motivated in his profession is the academic and social success of his students. As a STEM educator, Mr. Mohammed is inspired when his students demonstrate their innovativeness and creativity as a result of his guidance.
Regarding what inspired their experiment for the JUNEOS Challenge, Mr. Mohammed says: “’I realized that students were fond of excusing themselves during class hours to go and drink water. I then decided that they carry water bottles but then they realized that the water always became very warm and could not quench their thirst.” So they decided to modify the bottle so that the temperature of the water could be preserved.
Participating in the JUNEOS Challenge has affected Mr. Mohammed Abdul Saboor’s teaching methods. He explains: “I used to teach some topics without going through the practical examples very well due to the unavailability of essential Teaching and Learning Materials. After I participated in the Challenge, I realized that it’s not just about conducting the experiment but also doing it well to achieve the right results.”
He has also learnt to be more patient with the students and opened his mind and scope of thinking. He hopes that the JUNEOS Challenge continues to help create students who will be innovative and create essential technology that will help the country.
He concludes, “I want to encourage the JUNEOS Challenge to continue with whatever they’ve started because it’s going to go a long way to make educators alert and teach more practical lessons.”
Article by Kofi Konadu Berko.
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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
