Physics teacher David Richardson first went to Rwanda in 2004, when he visited a fellow teacher on a Voluntary Services Overseas placement there. He was stunned by how little equipment was available to science teachers — even batteries and bulbs were a rare resource.
Today, a local workshop funded by Nature and the UK’s Institute of Physics (IOP) builds 100 sets of equipment a year, and training is being provided for teachers in other schools in the country. A similar project is being rolled out in Ethiopia, and plans are in place to extend the programme to Malawi and Ghana.
This inspiring story shows how the determination of one teacher led to a project that brings physics to life for hundreds of children in Africa, emphasizing that one person’s commitment to change and sustainability can indeed make a huge difference.
None of the local schools that David had been to on his first visit to Kigali had any apparatus for physics demonstrations. Teachers in Rwanda do not enjoy a valued social status and are notwell paid. Often, the small amount of equipment they do have is incomplete or broken — or they haven’t been trained to use it. This means that students are usually taught only theory — they don’t get the chance to do any practical activities.
David resolved to give Rwandan schools access to physics equipment in a lasting, sustainable way. He recognized that although importing physics equipment from Britain was a good short-term solution, in the long term the apparatus would have to be built locally and distributed to schools around the country.
To make this happen, in 2006 the IOP agreed to fund a workshop to build the equipment locally — including construction of the building, importation of machinery and training two technicians to build the teaching apparatus including bulbs, switches and lens holders
At this point Nature joined the project and offered to fund the production of the electrical and optical apparatus. Nature now pays the salaries of the two technicians and provides
funds to buy enough components to build 100 sets of apparatus each year. The two technicians are using the money they earn to complete their studies on a university course in leisure, tourism, and information and communication technologies (ICT).
The Rwandan Ministry of Education has backed the project throughout, facilitating the importation of equipment from Britain and lending its support. During his visits to the country, David has met with representatives from the Rwandan government to discuss how valuable the inclusion of practical demonstrations is to secondary school education.
As a result of these talks, the IOP and Nature are working towards signing a memorandum of understanding with the Kigali Institute of Education, which will formalize the Rwandan school project and make important moves towards its sustainability. The agreement will see the IOP and Nature expand both production at the workshop and distribution of the equipment across the country. Components that cannot be sourced locally will continue to be imported from Britain, and the project will carry on providing vital training to local teachers.
A similar project to support physics education, based on the sustainability model used in Rwanda, has now been successfully initiated in Ethiopia with endorsement from the government in Addis Ababa. There are plans to roll out the initiative to other African countries including Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi.
image 1 http://travel.nationalgeographic.com
image 2 www.iop.org
