The Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, has called on stakeholders to assist in developing and commercialising the innovative works of students.

Mr Sununu spoke at the closing ceremony of the maiden edition of the Annual National Science and Technology Innovation Exhibition for Senior Secondary School students on Monday in Abuja.

Represented by his technical assistant, Claris Ujam, Mr Sununu said doing this would serve as a great motivation for students and inspire others who would participate in the subsequent editions.

He said President Bola Tinubu placed a high premium on education, especially in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) and technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

He said the government is, however, making a serious effort to fund the newly established commission, the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), to provide the needed infrastructural facilities in the senior secondary education sub-sector.

“The poor economic performance of many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa is linked to the poor application of science, technology and innovation (STI) to development.

“In today’s knowledge society, countries making the necessary developmental strides are those that have embraced STI through focused and committed investment in STEAM education.

“It is important to note that technology transfer from advanced countries to developing countries is not an easy task. We must, therefore, channel a reasonable percentage of our resources to developing STEAM and TVET education in Nigeria,” he said.

Earlier, the executive secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Iyela Ajayi, challenged the students to embrace such competitions as they offered the development and growth of learners in TVET and STEAM education.

Mr Ajayi said the competition would help to showcase the talents of senior secondary school learners, especially those at the science and technical colleges, and to equally encourage linkage between the schools and industries.

(NAN)