Professor Chibuogwu Nnaka of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has called for a deliberate overhaul of teacher education to eliminate gender barriers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers.
Delivering NOUN’s 34th Inaugural Lecture in Abuja, titled “Professional Teacher Education: A Catalyst for Widening the Gateway to Gender Equity in STEM Education and Careers,” Nnaka argued that teachers must be trained to challenge cultural biases and stereotypes that discourage girls from STEM fields. “Teachers can either be gatekeepers of inequality or champions of inclusion. The difference lies in how they are trained,” she said.
The professor lamented the low participation of women in STEM, citing global data showing women account for less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide. In comparison, only 17% of tertiary STEM students in Nigeria are female. “When women are missing in STEM, half the population’s potential is lost. Innovation is stunted, and national development suffers,” Nnaka warned. Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Professor Olufemi Peters, represented by Prof. Godwin Akper, praised Nnaka’s lecture as “a roadmap to breaking the chains of inequality and empowering the next generation.”
