STEM Coordinator for the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK) District in the Central Region, Ms. Benedicta Ampofo, has called on teachers to abandon the practice of administering unnecessary corporal punishment during mathematics lessons, stressing that such actions only deepen students’ fear and anxiety toward the subject.
The appeal was made during activities marking the International Day of Mathematics on Friday, 13th March, 2026, where educators and students gathered to promote pupils interest in mathematics and its importance in science, technology, engineering and innovation through fun games and quiz competition at the Asebu durdar grounds dubbed, "International Day of Mathematics: Mathematics and Hope."
The quiz competition saw schools like Apewosika D/A Basic School, Asebu D/A 'B' Basic, Akonoma D/A Basic, and the Batanyaa D/A Basic School in a four (4) round contest which had Akonoma D/A Basic emerge winner over its opponents with 56-points, followed by Asebu D/A 'B' Basic School with 47-points, then Apewosika D/A Basic School who secured 44-points, as Batanyaa D/A Basic School managed to pull 26-points.
According to the AAK STEM Coordinator, the persistent fear many students develop towards mathematics is often linked not only to the perceived difficulty of the subject, but also to harsh classroom experiences, including excessive punishment when learners fail to understand concepts.
“Mathematics should inspire curiosity and problem-solving, not fear. When students are punished for not understanding, they develop anxiety towards the subject rather than confidence,” Ms. Ampofo stated.
She admonished that Maths is lively and fun, hence teachers shouldn't complicate its study. Adding that should educators deploy the usage of teaching materials during lessons, maths will soon grow to become the most loved and enjoyable subject in schools across the country.
Madam Mary Cudjoe, the Director of Education for the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK) District having graced the occasion, eulogized the importance of mathematics in our everyday life, which makes the subject an essential tool for humanity to undermine and one that students should prioritize.
She underscored that the world would've been such a difficult place to be without the aid of mathematics, since it has a pivotal role to play in human activities like cooking, sitting posture, eating, walking, and even on inventions.
The AAK Director of Education elaborated that technology and innovation will be useless without mathematics, as every invention one may think of, talk of mobile phones, laptops, computers, and artificial intelligence (AI) were all birth under the inspiration of mathematics.
Anna Aba Pickson, the reigning Best Mathematics Teacher in the AAK District and a teacher of Asebu D/A Basic School also beseeched educators to help learners to easily catch the concept of mathematics through playful teaching methods rather than putting students under anxiety by forcing answers through their nostrils by way of lashes.
A teaching methodology the teacher struck out as an archaic form of teaching which teachers should do away with.
Sompaonline.com//Eric Annan