Nairobi school showcases first virtual STEM lab

Nairobi Primary and Junior Secondary School through the Google Adopt a School Project successfully showcased its first one-of-a-kind virtual STEM lab.

Seeking to serve over 2,275 learners at the institution, the school said this innovative educational platform serves as a gateway to the future as it enables students and teachers navigate the curriculum using digital tools aligned with the evolving world.

During the showcasing, the project developers said that the virtual lab was the first of its kind in Kenya and Africa.

Through this technology, teachers will be able to identify individual student challenges and provide tailored support, even amidst a large student body.

Spearheaded by one of the school’s alumni, the initiative was also sponsored by ACAT, Google, and Intel.

Speaking on behalf of education PS Belio Kipsang, Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa CEO Jacinta Akatsa commended the partners for the project.

She noted that the virtual lab showcasing was in line with what the government and CEMASTEA are envisioning through developing competencies in science education.

"As a country we are reforming education to develop competencies in learning and we are also supporting learners to prepare for the 21st century living through practical skills," she said.

"We hope this will drive up performance and interest in STEM related courses among students."

Google’s emerging markets public affairs manager Alex Nyingi said they did a nine months interaction with learners, teachers, the board as well as the alumni to try and identify the learning gaps that existed within the school system.

“One of the opportunities we saw was that, for instance, as the JSS were being introduced in the primary level, one of the challenges was how the students can actually have practical experiments around STEM,” he said.

“We saw an opportunity where we could provide the learners with facilities with which they are able to visualise and have practically simulated science experiments, for instance in digital labs.”

The virtual lab is an innovative and interactive learning environment designed to support the teaching and learning of STEM (Science,Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects.

The lab aims to provide students with hands-on experiences, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities through the use of technology and digital resources.

The project developers also set up a video conferencing facility that seeks to not only serve a learner from Nairobi Primary and JSS but also students from different parts of the country.

“A teacher from here can teach any learner from whatever part of the country and beyond.

Part of the vision is how can we transform learning in Africa, without focusing on Nairobi Primary alone,” Nyingi said.

Google in collaboration with its partners provided each of the 56 teachers from the school with a chromebook laptop to aid with teaching.

“It was very foundational for us to involve teachers because they are very core. One of the key things when you talk about access to learning in the 21 st century is access and we wanted the teachers to have this access,” he added.

Nairobi Primary and JSS PTA chairman Walter Namasake noted that the virtual lab is going to be transformative as it presents and an opportunity for the children to be at the forefront of these new technologies.

He added that this is another way of making education more efficient as cost of buying lab equipment is reduce as well as the risks that come with being exposed to dangerous chemicals.

“Some of the experiments the learners engage in will be virtually simulated, whether science or physics which means that we don’t necessarily need to have physical chemical mixing and cutting up of animals in biology class,” Namasake said.

He also said that the school is riding on the tablets that the government had rolled out during the previous regime.

“We have transformed them so that they can be accessed from all corners within the school,” Namsake added.

A grade 6 parent expressed her excitement stating that children will now be slowly moving from the traditional brick and mortar type of learning to leveraging technology that is already dominating their generation.

“It is up to us as parents to change our mindset and get to our children’s level of learning so that we we can help them use technology positively,” she said.

“It is a big thing as they are now hold tablets and mobile phones, and understand that there are positive things that can come out of such technology. How I wish I was born at such a time,” she said.