LAGOS – The African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology (English), on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to encourage space education in schools. Dr Wunmi Alabi, the Chief Scientific Officer of the centre, said at the inauguration of Schools’ Space Club for Private Schools in Lagos that supporting space education would enhance Nigeria’s security.
Alabi said that Space Science Technology had many benefits to mankind and there was the need to empower the incoming generation to take interest in space technology for national development.
She urged governments at all levels to encourage space technology in the school curriculum, to tackle some of the societal vices and to catch up with the rest of the world.
“We all need to join hands in ensuring that our children are guided along this path.
“If we catch them young and our teachers are exposed on what it is all about, issues bordering on security, especially the whereabouts of the abducted girls would have been tackled through satellite.
“The school-based space clubs is one of such ways that is geared toward sustaining efforts in sensitising, educating and informing our young school children and students at all levels,” she said.
Alabi said the schools’ space clubs would introduce children to rocket as a launch vehicle to position satellites in orbits in outer space.
She said that the schools’ space club would introduce children to other benefits, including the Global Positioning System (GPS) as a tool to monitor criminal activities around the country.
According to her, the children will equally learn how to collect data with hand-held GPS units. (NAN)