{"id":2703,"date":"2020-02-24T16:49:28","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T11:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stem.climate.mv\/?page_id=2703"},"modified":"2020-02-26T10:01:14","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T05:01:14","slug":"lessons-learned","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stem.climate.mv\/index.php\/lessons-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"lessons learned"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Lessons Learned <\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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STEM Education in the Far-flung and Vulnerable small islands of Maldives. Can\u00a0the Work of Scientists be beneficially harnessed?\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Lareef Zubair, Ashara Nijamdeen, P. Wickramagamage, Tharani Kailavasan, Tuan Hadgie, Fathima Shakira, Dinaskar Sathiyendra, Chayana Gunatillake, Athawuda <\/em>(Federation for Environment, Climate and Technology, Kandy, Sri Lanka) and\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Mohamed Shifaz <\/em>(Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll Education Centre, Thinadhoo, Maldives).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Why STEM education is vital especially in remote locations?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Important transferable skills which can be fostered among children for work of the future are creative problem solving, communication, self-organization, and adaptability (OECD 2017). These soft skills might not fall squarely within any given subject, but the STEM subjects are useful in pushing skills acquisition beyond literacy and numeracy. Students from rural areas were likely delayed in terms of progression through learning (OECD, 2016).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

The Need in the Remote Islands of the Maldives<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the Maldives, there were 338,434 residents in about 212 inhabited islands of the 1192 islands. (National Bureau of Statistics, 2014). The islands span a distance of 800 km North-South with small islands sitting around 26 atolls (Ministry of Planning and National Development, 2007). These islands are small, low-lying and remote from each other as such it is difficult for students and teachers to access resources even within each atoll.<\/p>\n\n

The need for STEM education is urgent due to the extraordinary challenges faced due to climate and other changes.\u00a0 These challenges include sea-level rise and erosion, ocean warming and coral bleaching, marine biogeochemical change and its impacts on fisheries and the ecosystem, contamination of the groundwater supply due to pollution and salination, and the spread of infectious diseases such as dengue.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Most students and the teachers are keen to face up to the problems they foresee proactively. The schools are better resourced compared to other schools in the region with teachers drawn locally and regionally and have adequate laboratory facilities and school supplies.<\/p>\n\n

Research in Maldives\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Following an invitation of Maldives Ministry of Environment, The Foundation for Environment Climate and Technology (FECT) has conducted a research program for the last decade with projects on Climate and its impacts on water resources, drought, and hazards. It has also undertaken research on water scarcity, studies on dengue, and contributed to higher education. This program was supported by government and other organizations in the Maldives and the PEER program. The resources from this work can be useful for STEM education.<\/p>\n\n

Challenges and Setting\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n

We undertook a program to support STEM education for middle and high school students Maldives at a pilot scale. As our partner, the Small Island Research Centre (SIRC) has a research facility in Fares-Maathoda Island, we choose to pilot our work in this equatorial island. In addition, we focused on the Huvadhoo (Primary and Middle) School. We also undertook work at the High School that students who graduate from Maathoda go to – the Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll Education Centre (G.Dh.A.Ed.C) in Thinadhoo which neighbours the airport. Our partner, the Maldives National University (MNU) also has a campus on Thinadhoo which facilitates this work.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

The Approach<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n

The approach taken was\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u2022\u00a0 engaging with schools and community to understand needs, resources and schedules<\/p>\n\n

\u2022\u00a0 supplementing available laboratory facilities\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u2022\u00a0 Installation of an automatic weather station with automatic download of data<\/p>\n\n

\u2022\u00a0 preparation of instructions videos on the use of microscopes, water quality equipment\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u2022\u00a0 bringing scientists who visit for research to the schools<\/p>\n\n

\u2022\u00a0 customizing research reports for the students and teachers<\/p>\n\n

\u2022\u00a0 organizing educational material online and ensuring accessibility\u00a0<\/p>\n\n