PETER Tabichi, a maths and physics teacher from Kenya, was selected out of 10,000 teachers from almost 180 countries to win the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2019, worth US$1 million.

Before winning the title of the world’s best educator, at the Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani village, Nakuru, he contributed 80% of his pay to support his students, who could not afford uniforms or books. He is also an education advocate who persuades the local community to recognise the value of education by visiting families whose children are at risk of dropping out of school. He tries to change the minds of families who expect their daughters to get married at an early age by encouraging them to keep their girls in school.

Besides his concerns and generosity, what is amazing about him is the creative teaching and science communication he applies in his daily teaching method, which uplifted the school’s reputation for scientific achievement.

The Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School is where Tabichi teaches in the remote Pwani village, where approximately 95% of students live in poverty, and about a third are either orphans or have only one parent.

Despite this difficult educational environment, Tabachi managed to create a pathway for the pursuit of scientific excellence in his own community. Tabachi’s students won an award from the Royal Society of Chemistry with a project that generates electricity from plants, and qualified for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2019, to be held in Phoenix, Arizona, the US, in May.

He does not only encourage active participation in science lessons, but also develops the spirit of teamwork among children. Tabichi introduced the Talent Nurturing Club while expanding the existing Science Club, which doubled the enrolment of science students in three years. Under Tabichi’s mentorship, students from Pwani village won the first prize in the public school category of Kenya’s Science and Engineering Fair last year with a device that enables blind and deaf people to measure objects.

As a trained science communicator, I personally think that Tabichi’s approach to science learning is a great example of creative teaching that develops curiosity and desire within students to find out more about science, even out of the classroom. This method could replace the traditional classroom way of learning, where students tend to be spoonfed by teachers who provide all the information and facts.

Students then can be assessed not only on their knowledge, but also on their attitudes, thinking and communication skills.

Tabichi’s students are led to discover and learn science spontaneously and naturally, as they construct knowledge using materials and equipment familiar to them. His students are exposed to daily problems or occurrences that arouse their curiosity towards natural phenomena, stimulating them to discover the answers or solutions as they move through the process of scientific investigation.

Meanwhile, in a progressive, prosperous country like Malaysia, the number of students taking STEM in secondary schools has declined over the years. The downward trend in the number of STEM students will have an impact on tertiary education, where there are currently 11,000 places in various STEM-related fields that could not be filled. This will affect the “output” of engineers, scientists, doctors and other STEM-related professionals to support emerging jobs and the fast-growing digital industry in Malaysia.

The CEO of the Malaysian Science Academy, Hazami Habib, said what is more worrying is that parents are giving the wrong signals on science and maths, thus, killing their children’s interest in these subjects. They advise their children to take “easier” subject to get as many As as possible in SPM.

There is a need to change the perception of parents, that science subjects are harder to score in, and a shift in mindset among students, that science can be fun. Special attention should be paid to the public, especially parents, so that they understand the importance of STEM subjects. Parents can help shape attitudes in children and adolescents of the next generation, which will then assist policymakers to better structure programmes to bridge the gap between society and science at large.

It is about time to move away from the traditional classroom environment, where students generally work alone, and their activities rely mainly on textbook and workbook materials. Science teachers must stimulate and provide chances for students to convey their opinions, and practise scientific reasoning through social contexts. By empowering students to be active and critical, teachers will create a better understanding of words that are spoken, written and read. Subsequently, learning has to take place beyond the walls of the classroom, and society is the venue for intellectual development.

This why we need awareness of science and technology as an instrument for the public, especially parents, to recognise the contributions of science and technology to the standard of living, and to understand the past, present and future relationship between science, technology and economic prosperity.

The public’s scientific knowledge is not only based on their ability to master the sciences or churn out facts like Wikipedia, but it is about how much the public can understand key ideas and how they came about, to an evaluation of the status of scientific and technological knowledge and its significance for their personal, social, and economic life. This can be accomplished through the exposure derived from various science and technology programmes or activities geared towards raising awareness and appreciation within society. – March 29, 2019.

* Noor Asmaliza Romlee is public policy and government relations manager at the European Union-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.