Science and for innovation & Enterprise

 Ensuring that every Ugandan Secondary School age student is a life-long learner capable of applying science entrepreneurship knowledge and 21st Century skills to thrive and develop themselves, their community and the country.  Most of the teaching of science focuses on ensuring that students pass the exams instead of ensuring that the learning helps them to identify and create solutions to those challenges that they face every day in their life and communities . They create  marketable solutions  that can earn them a living , thus increasing their employability  after they have left school  thus   reducing  the chronic unemployment that the very large youthful  population in Uganda tends to face after school. Ensuring that science learners    eventually  have  those desirable  skills and jobs to address the challenge of youth  unemployment while  minimising the effects of gender constructed stereotyping that often affects girls uptake of science subjects and professions.  

Uganda has one of the youngest populations  in Sub Saharan Africa.  Majority  are unemployed even after completing secondary school. They need skills  to find marketable solutions to the day to day challenges. Agriculture is the largest single employer.Youths  need for agriculture oriented innovations that can enhance productivity, value addition    The Ugandan education system tends to be  theoretical and  exam oriented. Girls tend to experience gender stereotyping which limits their love and uptake for science.  Majority of students who sit lower secondary O level exams fail , those who eventually pass end up unemployed. Uganda has the youngest population in africa after  Mali.  The percentage of the workforce employed by government is ... majority of Ugandans earn a living from agriculture.  They often lack the skills they need even to process what they produce. ICT literacy stands at over 50 %  despite  over 60% of the youths  owning a mobile phone making  their competitive advantage low 

Teachers and  headteachers  need  to interest the learners  and nurture  the innovation   to use the science they learn to address the day to day challenges in their community . Students  need  science based and  vocational courses. Lobbying to entice  young people to make meaningful choices to help them take science based courses  that will help Uganda transform from a mainly  agricultural society that produces raw materials for export to value addition that will lead to  marketable products . ICT is another area  that is fundamentally important for these young people. Uganda Science Education programme promotes an integrated approach to teaching science  by addressing professional development of teachers,  practical oriented teaching, product and innovation  oriented learning  as the best ways of cultivating interest in science learning . BTVET is another area of opportunity that can create openings  for the young people into the work world. Most are not aware of these opportunities because of absence of an effective career guidance system in their schools, Uganda Science education  programme advocates for an integrated approach to this challenge where career guidance and inspiration of leners coupled with ICT skilling  which can enhance their access to information and e learning   opportunities

The solution's focus is the learner of science at secondary school.  whom it strives to empower and equip with skills to innovate,package  brand , and market  the solutions so created  to earn a living and solve societal challenges . Teachers and school managers are the mentors and enablers they also need professional competencies to nurture the students . a big percentage cannot use ICT  so they cannot use it to teach. The programme trains teachers integrate ICT into the teaching and learning of sciences   The programme also does advocacy to parents and career guidance to learners  to encourage  the students  to become scientific innovators.   Supporting  students  choose and take science based courses or joining Technical Colleges which are mainly science based, if these students embrace science they will be the future inventors of the solutions needed to develop the countries and communities .  Those that join technical schools will attain marketable skills and therefore minimise the rampant youth unemployment faced by our communities   

This intervention has short and long term goals , in the short run  it targets ensuring effective learning outcomes. In the long run  create  jobs for the learners and make them more employable. Minimise  gender stereotyping that girls face by providing them with a platform to create and believe in themselves, to eventually join science based professions that will help them  become more competitive  and less prone to exploitation.  Learners need ICT skills which is imparted by the teacher. thus the teacher needs  training  and exposure to ICT skills and tools  to help students access information , knowledge and opportunities

The Uganda Government has a policy of compulsory sciences at secondary school. While this aims at generating a generation of scientists for the future. Nevertheless  the percentage of learners who finally  join science professions is considerably low because  majority do not pass their exams to meet the minimum entry requirements  to join the courses.   This is because  learners performance is often below what is expected because of the methods that do not engage the learners  effectively. The learners    leave school without the much desired skills despite the heavy investment into the teaching and learning of science. This approach focuses on increasing the numbers in terms of the learners interested in sciences, while at the same time empowering them to transfer the knowledge by using it to  find solutions to their day to day  challenges. The learners are further   supported to create enterprises which is a way of helping them to  employ themselves after they complete school or when they leave school. This approach also lobbies for learners to  take up vocational courses that are science related. This is a multi solution approach to harnessing of the teaching and learning of sciences at ordinary level. It involves building the capacity of the learner, the teacher and the school manager. All these must work together to bring about the desired impact of generating a set of innovators that use science to address the various challenges faced in the community.  

The USEP approach  harnesses assorted ICT technologies while at the same time promoting learners  abilities to create solutions  using various available   technologies , the learners have been able to  make prototypes to medical solutions , Interfaces that can help women to save ,  they have created  nutritional products to help solve the challenge of malnutrition in their community, created solutions to address or reuse waste, add value, address challenges to value addition through encouraging the learners to innovate by themselves

This  solution harnesses an assortment  of exiting  technologies and approaches , but also provides a platform for the learners to develop and  carry out  their own innovations

some examples here:

1.Learners  creating solar panels: Girls  finding a solution to energy needs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZOrKrSoE-k

2. Learners  making solutions to the challenge of malaria

 mosquito repellent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5n035J6Csg&t=155s

3. Learners creating a solution to address the challenge of  worms among children https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3VT2aHu_vc

and a deworming  drug https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSAmQs0jaac

4. Hand tractor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TVXNX7HZlQ

5 Haemogrobin  in form of  cake : helping women with Iron deficiency through a cake that is enriched with Iron https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDRriDg-VFw&t=32s

6 home made  Egg hatching machine and others https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAW_uJLN7Kw

7 Home made freezer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCDQ_Z5-0KE&t=32s

8. Bio Dieasel  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJtp9cSWJKU

9. Value addition 

(a)Ground nut sorting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAq5UrTf6ow

(b) Fruit Dryer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgMNV5xVzqc

10 Medical : Disease diagnostic tool  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvFabQYpRVE

11. Soap from local herbs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJZIlwBnfLQ

12. Solving the problem of water for irrigation , pump made from waste materials https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RSEhfGgFZ8

Our beneficiaries are secondary school going age youths in diverse schools across Uganda. Presently we have reach of over 45 secondary schools spread in all regions of Uganda.  With an enrollment of   over 40,000 learners. In our programming we take consideration of learners in special need e.g. those in refugee settlements (3 refugee hosting schools, 3 schools in the remote islands of lake Victoria where access to education is a challenge, some of our schools are located in areas where traditionally parents don’t value secondary education especially that of girls and in oil exploration region where the intense commercial activities can affect the interest of learners staying in school 

Our Goal is to reach at least 200 secondary schools especially those in rural areas. This will potentially make us reach 100,000-150,000 learners.

We are also lobbying the Ministry of Education  to adopt our approach to the teaching and learning of sciences.

Our advocacy shall involve technical and vocational skills  providers  to encourage our learners to  join technical schools and colleges , the skills they offer shall empower the learners  to find employment 

in the next 5 years we shall consider extending our intervention to neighbouring countries in East Africa namely Rwanda, South Sudan, and DRC

1.One of the major challenges is the theoretical way science is taught in secondary schools. this leads to minimal interest amongst the learners some end up hating sciences.

2.  The education system is so much focused on passing examinations  than on empowering learners with the much desired skills. our children are over burdened with too many exams than in being helped to apply the knowledge. learners are drilled to memorise facts  than to learn and apply the knowledge

3 Many  secondary Schools focus on syllabus coverage, this leads to some of them  focusing on non learner centered approaches. many schools look at this approach as being one that is time consuming

4 Innovative based teaching and learning leads to a cost to the implementing school. majority of the schools do not have a budget for procuring the materials that they need to promote innovation based teaching.   

5. Absence of the much needed ICT and science laboratories that the teachers need to promote the innovations as a source of information, as away of reaching potential partners  and experts

6. Poorly trained teachers and school managers, this limits their capacity to nurture the learners into innovators

7.The innovations that the learners create are at times exploited by people violating the intellectual property rights.

8. While innovation is being promoted making of products that meet the minimum standards is at times a challenge. Certification fees may not be easy for the schools and the learners 

1.The theoretical way science is taught in secondary schools.

Training  of teachers on learner centered approaches to teaching 

2.  The education system is so much focused on passing examinations:

Lobbying the ministry of education to adjust the curriculum to promote more of skills than on attaining academic papers   also produce documentaries and advocacy materials towards a shift in approach 

3 Many secondary Schools focus on syllabus coverage, this leads to some of them focusing on non learner centered approaches.  Our organization shall engage the  Ministry of education and sports  to mainstream innovation based teaching and learning

4 The schools do not have a budget for procuring the materials that they need to promote innovation based teaching.   

Engaging school boards to put in place funding mechanisms and budgets to  innovative science teaching

5. Absence of the much needed ICT and science laboratories 

Working together with the Uganda Communications Commission and telecommunication companies in availing the schools with ICT equipment

6. Intense teacher training and implementing a Uganda Science Education Programme  designed tool that is used in monitoring the progress on the effective teaching and learning of sciences in Secondary schools

7.  We shall work with the National council of science and technology to protect the intellectual property rights of the learners

8. Promoting  the  making of products that meet the minimum standards  by  Engaging the Uganda National Bureau of Standards to support the learners need quality assurance requirements 

1.Full time staff  03 

2.Part time staff- 6 Tutorial team which is a set of education experts providing technical backstopping and advice 

3. Volunteers - these vary from 1-6 depending on the available opportunities

4 Contractors vary according to need

Two of the 3 staff are professional teachers,  The Executive Secretary Lawrence Ssenkubuge is a professional teacher with a Bachelor’s Degree in science Education , MSC  Computing and Information systems and pursuing a distance learning course in M&E,   30 years work experience  16  of classroom teaching, 7  school management 7  in Education Development in Eastern and southern Africa and international  level  Under UNDP.  Headed a Millennium Development Goals  project under UNDP Malawi for 1 year  and  the  UN Millennium  Villages project  implemented by Millennium promise and the Columbia University, Millennium Promise Japan, Islamic Development Bank. Served as Team Leader  Uganda Millennium Villages Project II,  eventually partnered with government of Uganda to implement a 9.6 Million Dollar Rural integrated development Project (Education, Health, water, Agriculture, Business, Roads and infrastructure in  in SW Uganda from 2014-2016 supporting  close to 200,000 people.

William Warugaba the Programmes Manager has close to 10 years experience, A bachelor’s degree in Education ,a post graduate diploma in Public administration, Served the United Nations association of Uganda ,Entebbe handling services  and later  Coordinator  this project for  6 years. The tutorial team  has 5 teachers  each with experience of  an average of 30 years   with Ugandan secondary schools and youths. The Board  diverse in professional expertise and experience,   including academics , an  accountant, A lawyer  and 3 long serving  educators with one a former Commissioner in the Ministry of Education Uganda  One Board member is a youth who benefited from the project in its early stages in 2010.

• University of Kisubi- in service training of science Laboratory assistants and initial hosting of the  
• Ministry of Education and Sports-  for policy guidance and eventual programme sustainability
•  TOTAL- sponsored a students science based enterprise innovation show 
• National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC on advice regarding the  curriculum 
• TEACH A MAN TO FISH - training learners and teachers on Entrepreneurship skills and business development
•  Forum for African Women Educationists FAWE-bench marking the promoting girls science education
• Centenary Bank Uganda LTD- sponsored  part of the 2019 science innovations and enterprise national fair
• PEAS- promoting the USEP model in their schools
• Uganda Bio science information Centre , NARO - mentoring learners to innovate towards  agricultural production using science
• Uganda National Council for Science and Technology - providing advice to learners on intellectual property and patent  rights of their innovations
• Porticus Africa: Provided funding for piloting  this programme

Key resources : Major Donors , private sector and member school subscriptions and contributions, school business partnerships  sponsorships 

Key activities :

1.Teacher and school managers training on supporting learners to create science based innovations, Branding , packaging  and marketing 

2 Training  and mentoring students to use the science they learn to design and market solutions to challenges in their community  trough Entrepreneurial skills trainings 

3. Supporting learners to  develop the relevant 21st century skills  that they need to survive in the present day business world   these include team work and collaboration , public speech and communication , creative thinking  creativity, opportunity spotting, collaboration

4 Support learners to show case and patent their innovations so as to earn revenue while at the same time meet national quality standards  and ensure their property rights 

Key customers and beneficiaries: 

Learners sell their products ( e.g Liquid soap, paper bags, water pumps,  shoe polish,sanitary pads, briquettes , fortified food     to their schools  , parents whenever  visiting  the schools,another market for the products. The learners then use the proceeds to buy books and other scholastic needs 

the skills so accumulated are then used by the learners after leaving school to earn a living

The learners show case their products for purchase  by visitors to the school

the solutions are in response to day to day challenges  in the community, thus  local solutions to local challenges 

The innovations require big investments to manufacture or  scale or improve them hence the need for a bigger grant,

The Uganda Science Education (USEP)plan to financial sustainability  is  looking at a combination of approaches, in the short term  we shall solicit for grants from donors, we shall market the model to stakeholders who can pay for it, these include  NGOs that are specializing in improving quality of outcomes at secondary schools, We are engaging Uganda   government  to consider contracting USEP to carry out training of teachers on best practices in teaching sciences. The Academic progress score card a learning  evaluation tool  authored by USEP shall be marketed to the government and  other players  and the revenue used to finance USEP's  activities. USEP also plans to solicit for funding to erect premises that will partly host its offices and partly rent out and the proceeds used to finance USEP's recurrent expenditure.

USEP is also working on a funding model which will involve USEP opening a  consultancy  arm whose earnings will help fund the recurrent expenditure.

The Scientific entrepreneurship approach  is planned to empower schools establish  science innovation based businesses  to sustain the model in the  beneficiary schools through income raised from the innovative projects.

In the long term USEP is planning to  seek funding  to start  innovation parks where the  schools shall market the science innovations based businesses . This will partly sustain the  science innovation project.  

The Ugandan population is made of close to 60% youths  who tend to complete school and are not able to find a job, nor do they have the appropriate skills to help them create job opportunities for themselves we seek to help them attain marketable skills so that they can start earning even if they are still in school or after graduation. Girls are young women tend to dropout of school  leading their marginalisation there is need to give them appropriate skills to help them fend for themselves and avoid being exploited

-teachers are the mentors and pace setters , training them on how they can nurture the learner is essential. the innovations so created can easily be  forgotten if transfer of skills is not done 

The innovations  centres shall help serve as showrooms  where learners can market the products, and serve as   learning  centers for even those youths that are out of school

The Learners shall also serve as peer mentors to interested  colleagues from  their own schools and the community

The partners can serve as expert  mentors to the learners. The board members will help market the project and seek for additional resources while at the same time  providing oversight  

The M&E expertise will help inform the  future strategic planning

1. The private sector foundation Uganda  has resources that can be used to build leners innovation skills especially towards technical subjects and professions

2. Local banks : these can provide business mentoring and provide micro loans to the graduates

3. Ministry of education and sports  can adopt the model and provide some resources towards its scaling up

4.NGOs  like UNHCR and other organisations that support refugees  to help adopt the model among the youths in emergency situations 

5. Telecommunication companies like MTN. Airtel and others  to provide digital platforms for  helping learners access connectivity and information that they may need online ,  they can also help in digital based marketing and to mentor learners in ICT skills

6 Total to support learning in communities adjacent to their oil exploration programme so that they can attain the skills they need to harness the oil industry

7. Airlines like  Emirates, Quarter, Brussels,  KLM whic can provide tickets to youths travelling to other parts of the worls during the planned lerner exchange programmes

The  programme is already active in refugee camps  but resources are a challenge. this prize will help our learners reach out to counterparts in refuge e situations share skills with them , the learners will serve as  change agents who can also help in psycho social recovery .  Refugees often need local solutions , this programme will entice them to innovate and create their own solutions to the prevailing challenges that they face.

Youths with special needs or who are vulnerable like girls and people with disabilities will be given special attention hence foster inclusive programming

Girls are often victims of gender constructed stereotyping where they are denied  chances because they are girls. The girls will be availed with opportunities to develop their digital skills through activities like the  ICT holiday camps,  They will also receive both e mentoring and face to face mentoring  from female role models , this will help inspire them.

 They will be given skills to develop their ability to do things like programming, Robotics and others that are often treated as no go for girls. 

A  website where the girls innovations, videos  and other innovations shall be uploaded so that their  voices are herd and issues affecting them eg. menstrual hygiene will be discussed 

a collaboration between girls in uganda and those in other parts of the world will be established  to enable them work with girls in other countries

Quite often secondary school graduates or other graduates leave school without marketable skills,  these graduates can be given access to the innovation centers and they learn additional skills  that can enable them create  jobs instead of seeking for jobs.

Older members of the community can also come to the school based innovation centers for training in  their desired skills thus creating employable opportunities for themselves

Illiteracy is a big challenge in Uganda  adult literacy programmes contain skilling and entrepreneurial   training but most are theoretical , opening the doors of this programme to these people will crete  literate citizens with a better life .

They will also be trained on some basic practices like banking , formation of  cooperatives  e commerce and  use of digital platforms like email which can help them market what they produce and empower them to access micro loans  or start  small businesses 

one of the components promoted in our programme is robotics . we want to nurture the learners to create  digital based solutions when they are still young.

we also want our beneficiaries to innovate  AI based solutions to the challenges in agriculture, clean energy, solar power,  factory automation  and others that will help transform their community and country