Himale lo-o? (how are you in Gamounia, the local language here)
I guess it has been a long time since I have written in this blog, but I have been learning a lot about science education on my latest visit to the NURU International project in the Southern Ethiopian Highlands. One interesting thing I learned is that Ethiopia has a strong focus on science education. In high school, at least 70% of students must be enrolled in a science track with the focus of their education being entirely on either physical or natural science. The difficulty with this is that most schools do not have laboratories or other materials necessary to teach these subjects well. Even in middle schools though, teachers are hired specifically to teach chemistry, physics, and biology. It seems like they are trying to prepare students here for future industrial jobs. In the village though, these jobs can be far and few between. Life is more agriculturally based. Hopefully the students studying science can also apply their skills locally though toward improving water quality and sanitation. For the younger students, they learn all subjects including science in their local language so hopefully this facilitates some connection between school and community. The students then begin learning Amharic and English in fourth grade. This does present a challenge for students who have limited exposure with these languages outside of school. In order to succeed in school, and to learn science, students here must be fluent in at least three languages by the time they reach high school. Anyway, those are just some insights into science education here in the Ethiopian Highlands. I hope to learn more during my two weeks here with Jimmy.
Lo a fe adi! (have a good afternoon)
I guess it has been a long time since I have written in this blog, but I have been learning a lot about science education on my latest visit to the NURU International project in the Southern Ethiopian Highlands. One interesting thing I learned is that Ethiopia has a strong focus on science education. In high school, at least 70% of students must be enrolled in a science track with the focus of their education being entirely on either physical or natural science. The difficulty with this is that most schools do not have laboratories or other materials necessary to teach these subjects well. Even in middle schools though, teachers are hired specifically to teach chemistry, physics, and biology. It seems like they are trying to prepare students here for future industrial jobs. In the village though, these jobs can be far and few between. Life is more agriculturally based. Hopefully the students studying science can also apply their skills locally though toward improving water quality and sanitation. For the younger students, they learn all subjects including science in their local language so hopefully this facilitates some connection between school and community. The students then begin learning Amharic and English in fourth grade. This does present a challenge for students who have limited exposure with these languages outside of school. In order to succeed in school, and to learn science, students here must be fluent in at least three languages by the time they reach high school. Anyway, those are just some insights into science education here in the Ethiopian Highlands. I hope to learn more during my two weeks here with Jimmy.
Lo a fe adi! (have a good afternoon)
