Liberian Mathematician Sam Workapoe Workanuan says former Deputy Education Minister Alton V. Kesselly is deceving students at Liberian Universities; calls on MOE to test Alton and other Lecturers at Faith University
How it started? Alton Kesselly, a former Deputy Minister of Education who claimed to be an astrophysicist and to have obtained two master’s degrees in mathematics, used Faith University’s Facebook page to upload this photo of his solution to a mathematical problem (a laplace transform problem) while lecturing in a classroom at Faith University in Liberia. Please click this link to verify and read: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1389420549910157&set=a.472390714946483. They just deleted it.
Sam Workanuan, a mathematician, then saw Alton’s solution and chose to challenge him. Alton’s arrived at 2x as his answer to this Laplace Transform problem, but Workanuan said it’s wrong including his approach.
Sam Jackson alias Sam Workapoe Workanuan writes:
“Faith University College, please take note or your students will continue learning wrong approaches in Maths 401—Laplace Transform.
On the whiteboard, a simple problem y = x²-1/√x-2 was given under the topic “Laplace Transform.”
In approaching this problem, the former minister misapplied and disarranged the Quotient Rule that states: y’ = u’v-uv’/v².
Instead, he wrongly wrote: y’ = uv’-vu’/v² which is far different from REALITY.
Now, let’s dive into the problem.
y = x²-1/√x-2
u = x²-1
v = √x-2
Let’s differentiate each part:
u = x²-1
u’ = d/dx (x²-1)
u’ = 2x²-1-0
u’ = 2x-0
u’ = 2x, for the derivative of the upper part.
v = √x-2
v’ = (x-2)^1/2
v’= X^1/2
v’ = 1/2x^1/2
v’ = 1/2√x, derivative of the lower part.
We already know that u = x²-1, u’ = 2x, v = √x-2 and v’ = 1/2√x
Let’s apply the Quotient Rule now and compare our answer to what the former minister obtained:
y’ is the same as f'(x).
f'(x) = u’v-uv’/v²
f'(x) = 2x(√x-2)-(x²-1)(1/2√x)/(√x-2)²
f'(x) = 2x(√x-2)-(x²-1)/2√x/(√x-2)²
f'(x) = 2x(√x-2)(2√x)-(x²-1)/2√x/(√x-2)²
f'(x) = 4x√x(√x-2)-(x²-1)/2√x/2√x(√x-2)²
f'(x) = 4x(x-2√x)-x²+1/2√x(√x-2)²
f'(x) = 4x²-8x√x-x²+1/2√x(√x-2)²
f'(x) = 3x²-8x√x+1/2√x(√x-2)²
Note: Compare his solution on the whiteboard to mine.
Before I rest my case on this very problem, let me quickly leave down a statement, and may this attract our dear Exiled Activist Martin K. N. Kollie and also, may it attract the attention of the following:
Verity Online News
DN-News Liberia
Ministry of Education – Liberia
The Education System of Liberia needs to be cleaned up especially starting from the entity itself that presides over all activities concerning education.
On the whiteboard is Mr. Alton Kesselly, the former Deputy Minister of Education, Research & Planning, Ministry of Education.
From the look of things, I can verify from here that he doesn’t really know what he is teaching at the Faith University College.
This tells you how messed up the future of quality learning in Liberia has become.
It’s so glaring for students who have covered this course under his teachings.
I am not a student of said University but I really pity them a lot when it comes to this.
I am pleading that the Ministry of Education tries to find a remedy to this situation.
If not so, it would be a very threatening one to the professional lives of students of Faith University.
I recommend that they reshuffle, vet, and test all lecturers claiming to know what they are teaching.
This exercise will definitely help them. Please share this. Plead for qulaity learning. Vet lecturers at faith university.”
*We just noticed that Faith University and Lecturer Alton Kesselly just deleted the post of Alton’s mathematical solution.
What’s going on in Liberian classrooms and who’s monitoring what students are being taught? Who’s issuing licenses and permits to so-called new universities and colleges in Liberia?
In Photo: Sam Jackson alias Sam Workapoe Workanuan is standing with his Stella Maris University ID on his neck.
