IAEA Empowers African Teachers with Educational Science Kits to Enhance Learning

The educational school kits initiative follows a workshop hosted for secondary school educators from Africa organized by the IAEA and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, aimed at enhancing their understanding of nuclear science and technology. The training, which took place in November 2023, highlighted the role and impact of nuclear science and technology in different areas of development, including health, agriculture, the environment and more. It also covered teaching approaches, support materials, resources and activities necessary for teaching nuclear science in secondary school. 

“The African teachers who participate in this training have an important role and accountability to facilitate the dissemination of these topics to students, which will motivate the young generation to join nuclear sciences and technology,” said Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director of the Division for Africa at the opening session of the training.

Teachers from 16 African countries attended the training at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) in Texas, USA, and activities included school visits, interactions with teachers, and a visit to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to learn about space science. The project is part of an initiative to promote nuclear science and technology education and support African countries in leveraging its benefits.

“I hope the teachers from the African secondary schools who attended this inaugural IAEA training event hosted by PVAMU came away with strengthened technical knowledge of nuclear science and technology,” said Sunaree Hamilton, group leader for IAEA Programs in Argonne’s Strategic Security Sciences division. She added that they can apply this knowledge in the classroom to educate and inspire students throughout the African region.

The IAEA supports professional training in nuclear science and technology education through various technical cooperation projects that address resource limitations and workforce challenges particularly in the field of nuclear science and technology.