Science Radio Programme

Health, Food security and Nutrition continues to permeate most  marginalised african communities. This is mostly characterised by luck of basic scientific knowledge on basic healthy living, scientific agricultural practices and Nutrition. with the african women being at the core of family management, empowering them with basic scientic knowledge on the above themes can help mitigate food security and health problems associated with food and nutrition. Currently most african communities have community Frequency Modulated radio stations and is believed to be a reliable source of information by the marginalised communities.Staging a consistent and well planned radio programme on the above themes would be a more reliable and sure means of transfering scientific knowledge, skills and values to most girls and women in african communities and globally

Luapula Region of Zambia is Characterised by high poverty levels,high drop out rates from school among girls and child marriages(UNICEF, 2018). A qualitative survey conducted by Mansa College of Education Research team in 2019 revealed that health and nutrition among others where the major causes of droping out from school and that food security was affected traditional agricultural practices which are highly practiced by most households

Going to school is viewed as a waste of time and a delay in looking for food. Most parents marry off there children so that they can benefit from the bride price annd cement there cultural and intergenerational relationships.

Luck of basic scientific knowledge has affected health, agriculture and food security which could be avoided by provision of some formal education.

this project therefore will provide the necessary skills to stay healthy, practice good agricultural practices and prepare and eat balanced diety by engaging technical support to the marginalised communities through community radio programmes and where possible engage the population in live phone coversations through radio broadcast lessons.

A cadre of technocrats in Agriculture, health and Nutrition will be recruited, who will design a curriculum in respective field in local community languages.

The program will be aired through a radio station identified on a schedule to be arranged with the radio station.

Listeners will be allowed to ask questions through live phone calls or text messages and practical solutions will be given by the technocrats responsible for each theme.

Sample enthnographic research will be conduted to identify misconceptions of scientific knowledge on the identified themes from the marginalised communities which forms about 60% of the total population of the province.

The population will be engaged in by providing opportunities to there civic leaders and traditional leaders to participate in live radio programmes. these will act as information bearers in situations where people need quick interventions. Civic leaders will also help in local policy formulation and management.

Luapula province can increase access to the education of girls if the population is inculcated with the skills, knowledge and value enshrined in formal education.

Basic scientic knowldge can breakdown the misconceptions which help bread diseases and make the communities unproductive and wallowing in cycles of poverty. Because most communities like listening to the radio as a means of information, well structured broadcast can help mitigate the challeges faced in the communities. 

Most radio programmes are not well structured to a well defined curriculum basing on correcting misconceptions of the communities.

The design of this programme is therefore targetting addressing scientific misconceptions in a line of formal education and that is what makes it an innovative approach.

The core technology is use live radio lessons structured to the needs of the marginalised communities.

It therefore blends Radio and Mobile phone.

Most communities can access both Radio and mobile phone network in the Area. This is what makes the technology possible.

We are employing conceptual change theory. We want to destroy existing schemas which makes communities develop negative attitudes to schooling and use scientific model to replace traditional belief systems.

Iam currently serving one thousand people

I intend to reach out to over 10,000 people

and eventually to approximately 10,000,000 zambians

My goal is to reach out to as many margialised communities as possible by equiping them with basic scientific knowledge, skills and values for health and productive living.

Financial barriers to mobilise a cadre of technocrats and institutionalise operations. 

Pursue financial resources for the mobilisation and training of technocrats.

Engage in ethnographic research and curriculum design

pay for radio airtime services.

N/A

Four people are currently engaged in ethnographic research and curriculum and pedagogical designs.

My team consist of people in the academia and therefore well vested in research and curriculum design and sweetable pedagogical practices.

Communities needs knowledge and will always pay attention to listern to solutions especially in the wake of deseases and climate change affecting food security, agriculture and health.

We are depending on public support

we are applying to solve logistical barriers in research, curriculum design and information desermination to the target population

we need to partner with a team from technocrats in the Agricultural sector and Nutrition for practical scientific approaches to the identified misconceptions.

Health, Nutritionists and Agriculturists can partner with us to provide a multisectoral scientific approach to challenges in the education of girls and women.

the team of educationist currently on the ground are science educators and the country face a challenge of women and girls participation in STEM education.

The team is therefore qualified to provide relevant knowledge, skills and values to develop right attitudes of the target population towards STEM subjects.