Many science teachers in Uganda report that even when they have access to some equipment, they do not feel confident teaching practical lessons. Often this is because they have never carried out the practicals themselves, so the cycle of poor education continues.

TASTE does not want to undermine local science teachers in any way, so we will not simply take over lessons. Instead, we will hold training camps for the teachers within Lwengo District before the project starts and during each school holiday, to demonstrate all the practicals for the coming term. Individual teachers can then decide whether they would prefer to lead lessons or take a supporting role. TASTE staff will offer support throughout the lessons, either teaching the whole class or working with small groups of students as needed. Ultimately we hope to empower the teachers to lead practical lessons independently.To maximise the use of our facilities throughout the year, we will also provide training during school holidays to teachers from beyond Lwengo District. We will introduce them to experiments and demonstrations which require minimal resources, but nevertheless help to bring a particular subject to life.

(Photo by Katie Thompson)