Such trainings are part of our community services, we have been reaching out to public through different ways and education is the best way. Earlier, we had trainings such as English speaking skills but this training is bit different as it has brought science teachers from surrounding schools together, said AMU President, Dr Feleke Woldeyes.
Dr Feleke said this while opening two-day capacity building training organized by the Community Service Directorate in collaboration with College of Natural Sciences Community Service Coordination office at the Main Campus from 15th to 16th March, 2014.
He further stressed, ‘‘AMU is committed to support secondary schools because these are the places from where students come to university. And we expect them to have good academic background, which is our policy direction.’’
Arba Minch University addresses a plethora of issues including education for the betterment of community. This training would help us in communicating with the people and identifying their issues at different levels,’’ Community Service Directorate Director, Dr Alemayehu Taye, said, addressing the gathering.
This is the place where we can work with the different stakeholders for the common cause to enhance the skills of high school teachers. It means working to rejuvenate the future of the nation. This would help students to be better and successful thus making nation successful, Dr Alemayehu added.
Soon after the opening all participants were split into three groups like A, B & C and took to physics, chemistry and biology laboratories for practical orientations.
It was a two-day program of capacity building for high school science teachers especially in the biology, chemistry and physics. Community Service has prepared this program at zonal level. Gamo Gofa zone has 63 high and preparatory schools from where three teachers from each school were invited; around 189 High School teachers participated in the training.
The purpose was to build the capacity of science teachers as well as to sensitize them how to use laboratory resources they have. It was learnt that these teachers have problems in using science laboratories in high schools, which are generally non-functional and idle.
This training will enable them to utilize the available resources for their good. It’s important because, Ethiopia is aggressively pursuing science education for the development of the nation.
The training underscored three points, first how lab manual is prepared that suits grade IX, how to execute or how they can use in preparing, organizing and implementing the materials to come up with the results; finally to test and utilize them in their laboratories. In future, the issue of manual preparation for grade X, IX & XII will be looked into in collaboration with other stakeholders.
AMU has prepared the laboratory manual based on the curriculum of high schools for the training, it were distributed to all the instructors, which will help them to use in their schools. The technical assistance was provided by the teachers of College of Natural Sciences.
This sort of training would be replicated in future as it has far-reaching effects in building the capacity of high school students. AMU is contemplating to have a project in that direction and would look for the required monetary support at the zonal and regional level as well.
By Philips Joseph