Hazemba urges review of science education standards

Hazemba urges review of science education standards
By David Chongo in Solwezi
Sun 09 May 2010, 03:10 CAT

NORTH Western Province deputy permanent secretary Nkolola Hazemba has called for a critical review of the waning standards of science education in Zambia.

During the Zambia Association of Science Education annual general conference on Thursday, Hazemba observed that no nation could develop without paying particular attention to investing in science education.

“No nation can develop without paying particular attention and huge investment in science education. A nation cannot develop without the necessary human resource in science fields, as well as science-dependent fields,” he said.

“For a nation to be able to develop this required human resource, our education system in terms of science education must be critically reviewed in order to embrace the necessary approaches which will equip the learner with required skills at all levels of science education.”

Hazemba said teachers were the foremost resource in building a viable scientific culture from which the nation could base its developmental projects.

He said the country had found itself in this critical situation because of the non-availability of resources, policy, teachers’ competences and the environment teachers were working in including the nature of the learners themselves.

And Kansanshi Mine has donated science laboratory equipment worth K6.8 million to Solwezi Technical High School to beef up the depleted stock at the school.

Kansanshi Mine public relations manager Godfrey Msiska said the mine had an obligation to promote the standard of science education because the mine was looking forward to integrating the graduated pupils into the mines force after their effective learning in school with acquired instruments.