Pi day celebrated with Ife maths festival at OAU Ife

In a celebration of Mathematics and education, the Ife Maths Festival, christened IFEMATHFEST2024 was held at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ife, Nigeria on Pi Day, which is universally celebrated on March 14 coinciding with the digits 3 1 4.. The event brought together educators, students, and experts in the field of mathematics to discuss and address challenges in teaching the subject effectively.

During the festival, renowned mathematicians Prof. Philip Jegede and Prof. Adeyinka Adesina took the stage to address the issue of poor mathematics teaching methods in schools. They emphasized the importance of engaging students through interactive and practical learning experiences to enhance their understanding and appreciation of mathematics.

In his address, Prof Adeyinka Adesina who is the OAU Dean of the faculty of Science, pictured Mathematics as a fun and for everyone by changing the deeply held beliefs about the dreaded subject and it's teaching and learning that had handicapped people's love for Mathematics. Meanwhile, Prof. Olu Jegede, who is the first professor of computer science education in Nigeria with solid backgrounds in Mathematics both at first degree and masters level presented learning Maths in a digital world. He bemoaned the primitive way of teaching the age-longed subject when there is dynamism in the technological world to aid teaching and learning processes.

One of the highlights of the festival was the presence of Dr. Kehinde Adenegan, a Yorùbá Mathematics class teacher known for his innovative teaching methods and dedication to promoting mathematical literacy among students. Dr. Adenegan’s unique approach to teaching mathematics has garnered attention and praise from both colleagues and students alike. Adenegan staged a presentation on the use of Yorùbá indigenous language in teaching Mathematics. He encouraged teachers to embrace this new strategy and see if the trend will not change. "Use your indigenous language to teach topical contents with the use of local and reachable instructional materials and you will see the Maths is fun and is for everyone", Kehinde Adenegan remarked.

The Ife Maths Festival was organized by Dr. Bisi Anyadike, a passionate advocate for improving Mathematics education in Nigeria. With a vision to inspire young minds and cultivate a love for numbers, Dr. Anyadike brought together 15 schools to participate in the festival, creating a platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing among educators and students.

While welcoming guests and participants, Dr. Anyadike, whose husband, Prof Anyadike was also present, appreciated the good efforts of the two keynote address presenters for their key roles in her life at a time she never knew anything good can come out of her "Mathematics Jerusalem". She openly acknowledged their impacts and encouraged other teachers to make Mathematics interesting and fun and not otherwise. Enthusiastically, Bisi Anyadike was very excited about the innovation of Dr. Kehinde Adenegan on his Yorùbá Mathematics Class (YMC) on YouTube which is a very significant approach in this dispensation for the teaching profession.

Earlier, in her opening remark, the chairperson of the festival, Prof. Ibiyinka Ogunlade, athe Director of the popular Children in Science and Technology (CIST) Centre, ably represented by Dr. Mrs. Agbalajobi of the Department of Political Science of the Obafemi Awolowo University, said that the IFEMATHFEST is the right step in the right direction to nurture young minds in the science education which Mathematics is a veritable tool.She encouraged the noble participants to make good use of the program to enrich their knowledge and expertise.

While declaring the festival opened, Prof. Mrs. Hannah Ajayi, the Director of the OAU Institute of Education welcomed the participants to the foremost university and advised the students and teachers to be inspired by what they see, learn and do at the remarkable Mathematics festival.

More significantly, the CEO of Oatslead innovation, Mr. Olatunde Timothy Adekunle and Mr. Okawale Olaosebikan, a PhET expert were also invited to speak to the teachers during the workshop session in the need to use new techniques and technologies such as coding and PhET to support the teaching and learning of Mathematics to make it more fun and interesting.

Overall, the Ife Maths Festival served as a beacon of hope for transforming Mathematics education in Nigeria, showcasing innovative approaches and fostering a community dedicated to empowering future generations through the power of numbers. Other details of the program with the video summary can be found on the YMC YouTube. Pupils and students who performed excellently at the Olympiad were given medals at the end of the event while.the keynote address presenters were given awards