Former NUC boss Okebukola unveils new method to boost STEM education
Former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola, has launched a new teaching approach aimed at improving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Africa. The method, called Model-And-Surpass Pedagogy (MSP), was unveiled at the 2025 international conference of the International Research Group (IRG) co-hosted by the Commonwealth Association […]
Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola
Former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola, has launched a new teaching approach aimed at improving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Africa.
The method, called Model-And-Surpass Pedagogy (MSP), was unveiled at the 2025 international conference of the International Research Group (IRG) co-hosted by the Commonwealth Association of Science, Technology and Mathematics Educators (CASTME).
Explaining the idea behind the pedagogy, Okebukola said: “MSP is based on students modelling great scientists and striving to surpass them. By doing so, they learn the way of the scientist and work towards achieving greater heights. The outcome is predicted to be improved achievement and better attitude to STEM.”
He noted that unlike Western-imported teaching methods, MSP is tailored to Africa’s socio-cultural context. “Our researchers gleefully deploy these ‘oyibo’ methods and fail to innovate. The lacklustre performance of our students in STEM can be attributed, at least in part, to this mismatch,” he said.
Okebukola added that studies to test the effectiveness of the pedagogy have already begun across Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, and Sierra Leone. “The goal is to ensure that MSP contributes to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want. The days of Africa playing second fiddle in STEM enterprise will soon be over,” he said.
Okebukola previously developed the Culturo-Techno-Contextual Approach (CTCA) in 2015, which is now in use across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.