Latest update September 17th, 2026 10:25 AM
UNESCO stresses importance of Science in schools
Food insecurity and a pervasive energy crisis can be effectively evaded with the influences of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This assertion was on Monday accentuated by UNESCO Commission (Guyana) Secretary General Inge Nathoo as she delivered brief remarks to the gathering at a Caribbean Academy of Sciences workshop which is set to come to an end today at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).
According to Nathoo, the avenue of science provides an opportunity to build the capacity of children to think critically about solutions that utilise low cost resources.
She said it was against this background that UNESCO recently supported the initiation of a pilot project aimed at implementing inquiry-based science education in six local primary schools. Thus far, this ambitious initiative has been attracting involvement from both teachers and pupils and is serving to re-ignite an interest in the sciences at the primary school level.
Even as UNESCO awaits the final results of the pilot programme, Nathoo said that the body recognises that science skills, once developed, stay for life, thus it is prepared to direct support to the expansion of the initiative.
She revealed that Youth Challenge Guyana, a non-governmental organisation, had even sought to embrace the programme with funding from Exxon Mobil, a move which amplifies the importance of partnership.
“UNESCO welcomes partnerships like these with the private sector and we hope that we will be able to expand on this from a personal point of view and generally,” Nathoo added.
The ongoing science workshop has as its theme “Hazard Mitigation: Protecting Caribbean Infrastructure – Securing Caribbean Communities,” and according to Nathoo, it is expected to motivate teachers to design a curriculum that is relevant to problem-solving.
In fact, she noted that “there is need for alignment in our schools’ science and mathematics curricula to national and regional curricula. It is said that any problem turned outside in or upside down is an opportunity…so the use of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, are tools to solve our food and energy crises.”
“This is our opportunity to build the capacity of our children to think critically about solutions that utilise low cost resources. The hands-on approach that the inquiry based science education emphasises will provide the opportunity to build students’ interest in sciences and help them to connect what they do in the classroom with solutions to problems in their world…After all, one definition of science is that it is really the human effort to solve problems.”
Moreover, Nathoo said that UNESCO supports the use of the micro-science kit which promotes hands-on work by students who may not have the adequate laboratory facilities.
“We need our students to do science, not science to be done to them,” Nathoo said, even as she stressed that “allowing students the opportunity to do experiments ensure that they develop the national science process skills such as observation and communication.”
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