Photos courtesy David Smith
Empowering teachers, inspiring students: At Rotary’s 2023 teacher training workshop in Niger, educators gained practical tools and strategies to enhance science education and foster critical thinking in six high schools in Niger. These new Rotary Foundation grants will extend these efforts to 38 high schools in Niger and Togo.
By David Smith
The Rotary Club of Pagosa Springs has just received grants from The Rotary Foundation totaling $160,000 to support science education at the high school level in Niger and Togo.
The long-term goal of these projects is to prepare students for careers that require a solid foundation in science. These projects will improve the critical thinking skills of all students and contribute to national wealth by increasing the scientific skills of the workforce.
Niger and Togo are among the poorest countries in Africa. Nearly 50 percent of the population in Niger lives on about two dollars a day. The northern area of Togo, where this project will take place, has a similar poverty rate.
Economic development in these countries requires a workforce trained in medicine, engineering, agriculture and other science-based disciplines. Although biology, chemistry and physics are currently taught in the high schools, they focus on theory. Laboratory experiments as we know them are not available. Without lab experiments, students do not connect the theory with the application of science.
Although these countries have a rigorous science curriculum, they have no lab manuals. They have no equipment or materials to perform experiments. The science teachers understand theory, but they have no experience with the application of science.
These grants will provide lab manuals, supplies and teacher training in 15 schools in Niger and 23 schools in Togo. Approximately 140 science teachers will be trained to perform the experiments. The lab manuals are written in French, the primary language of both countries, and align with the science curriculum used in both countries.
Projects funded by The Rotary Foundation have two lead partners. The Rotary Club of Pagosa Springs, the International Partner for these projects, is responsible for funding the project, for developing the lab manuals, buying many of the supplies and leading the teacher training workshops. The Host Club Partners in Niger and Togo will manage the projects in their countries. They know the needs of their countries. They know the cultures. They know how to align our efforts with the goals of the Ministries of Education.
Most of the funding for these projects is available because many of the 1.2 million Rotarians around the world have donated to The Rotary Foundation. Additional funding comes from the Rotary Club of Pagosa Springs and Rotary clubs in California, Taiwan, Belgium, Canada and Austria. Support from these highly developed countries will help to reduce the gap between underdeveloped and highly developed countries.
The Rotary Club of Pagosa Springs is proud to support education and community initiatives both locally and internationally. To learn more about our projects, programs, and how to get involved, visit our website at www.pagosaspringsrotary.org. Together, we can make a lasting impact in our community and around the world.
