Mobile Science Laboratory for Schools

Most students in Malawi get selected to Community Day Secondary Schools which do not have Science Laboratory Facilities nor Qualified Teachers yet they write and compete in the same national examinations with well equipped schools. This severely affects student's performance and development in their life. Mobile Van Mounted Science Laboratory and Qualified Teacher will raise the standard of equality and quality in access to education and development of youths for sustainable national development

Kasungu North Community (KuNoCo) is located about 60km North of Kasungu CBD in Malawi with about 127,826 people of which about 20,508 aged 15-25 years according to Malawi Housing and Population Census 2018. There are 15 Community Secondary Schools with about 6000 student enrollment. There are 35 Primary Schools with about 15,000 learners feeding into the Community Secondary Schools every year. All the schools do not have Science Laboratories nor Libraries or Qualified Science Teachers. All schools are not connected to National Electricity Supply Grid. Teachers and Students have no broadband internet connectivity to access online academic and administrative information

As result students do not prefer studying STEM subjects hence performance in National Examinations is comparatively very poor

School dropout rate is very high resulting in high underage marriages and compounding on the high prevalence of Gender Based Violence

The situation also contributes highly to poverty cycles, poor access to education, health, justice and missed socioeconomic development opportunities

Government fails to construct and provide the needed infrastructures and amenities for the promotion of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics in the schools consistent with the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy that contributes towards national attainment of the Global Sustainable Development Goals

This project proposes to promote equal and quality access to education focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects through provision of Mobile Science Laboratory Services with relevantly qualified teachers, incorporating Mobile Phone Technical Services Training in repairs, systems maintenance and internet connectivity

The targeted Community Secondary Schools have an average student enrollment of 6000 (36% girls) per year that would benefit directly from the Mobile Science Laboratory Facilities. Incorporating Mobile Phone Technical Services Training and Internet Connectivity would reach out to more than 10,000 learners a year.

This will also provide structural support that would benefit over 20 surrounding Secondary Schools equally disadvantaged in STEM subjects

The Mobile Science Laboratory Facilities shall be mounted on a Van equipped with Scientific Experimental Instruments coupled with dramatized experimental activities to enhance student attraction, understanding and liking science and technology subjects.

The Mobile Science Laboratory Project shall therefore invigorate and deepen learner's interest in STEM subjects

The program shall be designed to extend theoretical textbook science to everyday life applied science 

The Mobile Science Laboratory will reach out to students in their respective schools according to pre-designed and mutually agreed timetable  while availing them with a Science Subject Specialist Teacher 

The mounted Broadband Internet Connectivity and Student Portal Facility shall amplify the beneficiary reach out to innumerable numbers of both learners and teachers whose value shall be monitored through site visits and downloads

Lack of Science and Technology Laboratories in the schools demonstrates that while schools must preserve access and enhance quality education, the essence is compromised because of unequal provision of appropriate facilities despite more students being selected into these Community Secondary Schools thereby being denied their right to education socioeconomic opportunities

This project will enable improved access to quality learning experiences in these poorly resourced Community based Secondary Schools with low-connectivity settings—including imaginative play, collaborative projects, and hands-on experiments to enhance student attraction into STEM subjects, improve performance at national examinations and technical skills development for self reliance

Kasungu is in the Central North Education Division of the Education National Structure in Malawi which has 40 Conventional Secondary Schools of which only 23% have Laboratory Facilities and over 250 Community Day Secondary Schools with no Science Laboratory Facilities nor a Qualified Teacher. Hence student performance in National Examinations is very poor. Mobile Van mounted Science Laboratory Facilities with Qualified Teacher will raise the standard of equality and quality in access to education and development of youths for sustainable national development of Malawi. The project aims to pilot in Kasungu North area which has 15 Community Day Secondary Schools with approximately 6000 learners. Successful implementation of the project will anchor upscaling to all needy schools in Kasungu District, to the whole Central Education Division and to all Divisions in the country With over 640 Community Day Secondary Schools and about 120 Government Assisted Conventional Secondary Schools

Mobile Science Laboratory Facility for Community Secondary Schools shall be the first of its kind in Malawi that will go a long way to alleviate the infrastructural deficiencies overarching government to provide for schools especially resource strapped Community Secondary Schools. More schools will equally access the Science Laboratory Facilities with services of appropriately qualified teachers and Solar Powered Internet Connectivity for rural located schools that will accord learners with easy access to e-learning.

Upon successes and lessons learnt in the first twelve months the Mobile Science Laboratory Technology shall be established as a four-year program in order to ensure consistent performance management from when a student enrolls in form one until the fourth year when the student compete on national examinations for university selection or utilize the gained innovative technological sciences and skills in their respective day to day life for community development

The Mobile Science Laboratory Facilities shall include Laboratory Equipment for Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Coding and Mobile Phone Repair and Maintenance including Broadband Internet Connectivity Equipment which shall be mounted on a Mobile Van with Classroom Tents together with Qualified STEM Teachers and Project Staff

First year target 6,000

Third Year target 15,000

Fifth Year Target 30,000

The current student enrollment in the targeted 15 Community Secondary Schools is about 6,000 per academic year

About 35 Primary Schools feed into these Community Secondary Schools with a total student population of about 15,000 per academic year

The project will expectedly attract more and more students from neighbouring schools and far beyond which may exponentially increase the anticipated enrollment over the initial four year stream

The Mobile Science Laboratory Services may also be upscaled to cover all schools in the education division and beyond

The E-Learning with Student Portal Facility shall amplify the beneficiary reach out to innumerable numbers of both learners and teachers nationwide

Performance management of the project shall be governed by a logical framework of performance measurement guidelines using appropriately designed data collection tools that will help to capture:

a) number of students, segregated by gender, enrolled and retained in STEM subjects per term and cumulated to academic year

b) number of STEM class sessions conducted per class per term cumulated to academic year

c) student's performance in STEM subjects segregated by gender per term cumulated to academic year

d) STEM student's performance in National Examinations and selection into Universities

e) Youths segregated by gender trained and engaged in mobile phone repairs and maintenance skills for self reliance 

f) number of students and teachers accessing internet and visiting the Student Portal Services

g) number of Stakeholders engaged segregated by gender and designation, and their input into Project Programming and Realignment

h) Project Outcome contribution towards Government Policy Reviews

I) basic innovations designed or developed by upcoming young minds on STEM Professional Pathways

j) government and other institutional support gained towards sustaining realized Solution Outcomes

Full Time Project Staff

a) 1 Project Coordinator

b) 1 ICT and Laboratory Technician

c) 1 Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

d) 1 Mobile Laboratory Van Driver

Part Time Project Staff

a) 1 Executive Director

b) 1 Finance Officer

c) 4 Teachers (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and ICT)

Executive Director has Degree in Social Science with over 30 years work experience in Senior Project Management Positions

Finance Officer has Degree in Financial Management with over 12 years work experience

Programs Coordinator has Degree in Project Management with over 8 years work experience

ICT Officer, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer and the Tutors shall be recruited for the project

The Organization already works in the area focusing on Girl Empowerment Against Rights Abuse (GEAR-A), Fertility Awareness Education, Child Protection, Access to Justice through Mediated Restorative Justice Conferencing and Legal Advisory Victim Support Services since 2018

The Executive Director serves as District Child Protection Chairperson and is a member of the District Executive Committee

The organization works with and through resident Community Based Organizations, Chiefs, Religious Leaders and Local Government Structures in the implementation processes of its projects and services 

a) Conducting Consultative Meetings with Strategic Stakeholders

 b) Advocacy and Lobbying government, Traditional and Religious Leaders for Transformative approaches to Resources Mobilization, Behaviour Change and Public Accountability

c) Have also severally participated in Policy Reviews and Law Commission Consultations

d) Involvement and Participation of Direct Beneficiaries and Marginalized Groups in the development processes and Evaluation of the Solution

e) Conducting joint Monitoring and Evaluation of Project Processes and Results, and sharing of documented information 

The Solve Opportunity has come at a dire moment when the community is seeking any available assistance to help students in Malawi access STEM subjects and achieve equal opportunity at accessing University Education

The proposed project is augmenting the MIT SOLVE ideology and objectives being an innovation to solving lack of infrastructure and Qualified Teachers for the advancement of STEM Professional Path to socioeconomic development of Malawi

We may not have technologically qualified human resources in Malawi since the University of Science and Technology will only be graduating its first cohort by end 2021 hence the program will need human resources support from partners to ably achieve the desired Solve objectives

Will need initial Financial Support to roll out the program before government can take up

Will need appropriate technologies for the proposed Mobile Science Laboratory Project which partners can help in sourcing, product/service distribution for scaling up, enhanced public relations for effective lobbying and Advocacy through evidence based data generation, analysis and presentation from relevant Monitoring and Evaluation Systems

We may wish to Partner with any like minded whether or not in the MIT Initiatives or the Solve Members

The proposed Solution is to improve quality STEM education embedded as part of core curriculum in the Malawi Schools, it will utilize project based learning, ensure equitable access, and have an emphasis on teacher and student STEM professional development consistent with the American Student Assistance® (ASA) commitment to helping students know themselves, know their options, and make informed decisions to achieve their education and career goals

Although Malawi is currently not in war devastation, it is hosting thousands of refugees under UNHCR camps. This Solution is premised on promotion of inclusive education with equal access to quality education and STEM professional qualification thereby supporting the promotion of refugee resilience, self-reliance and integration for sustainable socioeconomic development

This Solution is to promote equitable access to STEM Professional qualification that can catalyze innovative solutions that will help create smart, safe, and sustainable communities for sustainable socioeconomic development

The proposed Solution aims to use innovative technology to improve quality of life for women and girls who are culturally considered incapable of learning STEM subjects thereby perpetrating female inferiority and gender based violence

The project is targeting to reach at least about 60% females enrolled into the STEM Professional Qualification Pathway 

Providing Mobile Science Laboratory will evolve STEM solutions that use  data science, artificial intelligence, and/or machine learning to benefit humanity, as well as to those planning to utilize these technologies to amplify their impact and create a thriving, equitable, and sustainable future for all

Providing equal access to quality education in STEM subjects will promote AI technologies that enhance innovative solutions to sustainable socioeconomic development

The anticipated results of the  solution will enable our youths to use innovative and sustainable approaches to tackling the most pressing issues of their local communities for poverty alleviation, upliftment of women in science and contribute to a sustainable world