Discover GH4STEM 100 Top Teacher: MOHAMMED HAMZA, Tamale #GH4STEM

Mohammed Hamza currently teaches over 200 students at the Anbariya J.H.S. He has been teaching for the past decade. He hopes to become an engineering lecturer in the next 5 to 10 years. He enjoys science shows and football matches. His favourite celebrity is footballer Christiano Ronaldo.

Growing up, most of Mohammed Hamza’s siblings were studying Business at the Senior High School level, so he followed in their footsteps with the hope of becoming a banker. However, after school he taught for a time at a private school. His experience there made him realize his interest in teaching and so he enrolled at the Teacher Training College.  

Mr. Mohammed Hamza loves Science and therefore he continues to improve his knowledge and skills in STEM. He does this by watching science-based TV shows, YouTube and social media. This helps him to keep abreast with things happening around him.

On what motivates him in his profession, Mr. Hamza explains “The success of my past students keeps me motivated.” In addition, he says that his most positive experience has been his ability to help students understand the reality of concepts taught in class. 

As a STEM educator, he makes an impact in the lives of his students which he believes goes a long way to contribute to the success of the country. He adds that another benefit of  teaching STEM is that it makes it possible for both educators and students to understand technology and their environment. Finally, STEM education builds students’ interest in learning science. Mr. Mahama loves it when he helps students to understand the concept of nature without societal or religious interference.

When he was told of the JUNEOS Challenge he informed his students, selected a good experiment, and then they began working at their participation. Their JUNEOS Challenge experiment was inspired by the need to teach people in remote areas how to purify their water in order to prevent contraction of water-borne diseases.

Mr. Mohammed Hamza would not hesitate to participate in the challenge again because it allows him to show how science can be used to solve problems. He believes that this will go a long way to benefit others.

He hopes that the JUNEOS Challenge is organized annually and publicized to reach a wide audience. He also prays that the JUNEOS team receive attention and support from the government as well. This will enable them to reach students in remote areas. He hopes the JUNEOS Team can guide teachers in particular topics to teach their students so that students can gain more knowledge.

Mr. Mohammed Hamza’s participation in the Challenge has positively influenced his teaching. He has learnt to improvise with available materials in order to teach effectively. It has also made him pay keen attention to experiments he demonstrates to his students. Most importantly, it has improved his confidence as a STEM educator.

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Article by Kofi Konadu Berko

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