Ministry of Education calls for greater participation in Science and Technology Fair

Ministry of Education officials have expressed some concern about the participation in the country’s main science competition, and are urging teachers to employ more creative methods to get students interested in Science-related topics.

The VINLEC National Science and Technology Fair was launched on Tuesday, November 4, 2024 at the Curriculum Development Unit, ahead of the planned November, 11, official opening at the Methodist Church Hall.

“I must say sometimes that we are not always satisfied with the number of schools that participate. It is not about the winning, it’s about the students’ involvement,” said Deputy Chief Education Officer, Jocelyn Blake-Browne.

She said with the implementation of the Digital OECS Harmonized Primary Curriculum (D-OHPC), which is set to be implemented in local primary schools and across other OECS countries in 2026, students stand to gain more benefits.

Blake-Browne said the “talk and chalk” teaching approach is not the most effective way to get science concepts across to students.

“At the classroom level we are hoping that teachers will continue to make science an exciting subject. There is a tendency by teachers to call science, social studies and geography notes subjects. They are not notes subjects, they are content area subjects that all students need to learn,” she pointed out at Tuesday’s launch.

“We cannot use chalk and talk as the main strategy to instruct students especially in the content areas. Science doesn’t always have to be done in the classroom, take the students outside.”

Attendees at the launch got the opportunity to participate in a scientific experiment headed by the St Vincent and the Grenadines Science Teachers Association where they were instructed to fold a sheet of paper in a way that can hold water for up to ten seconds.

Science Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Juanita Hunte-King, highlighted that science is a tool that is used daily, and one which is a “very important discipline in all of our schools”.

“We each have a role to play in ensuring that SVG has a bright future.

I wish to encourage all the participants to think about how they can make SVG sustainable for many years.”

Categories being judged in this year’s competition include Science, Technology, Society and the Environment, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, Life Science, and Technology.

For primary and secondary schools, students will be judged in Lower and Upper, and there will also be a Post-Secondary and Open category. Primary and secondary schools with a student body of under 500 are allowed to submit 10 best entries, while schools with a population of over 500 are allowed to submit 15 best entries. Post-secondary participants are allowed to submit one entry per person. Entries will be judged on November 12 and 13.

The theme for this year’s competition is ‘Sustainability a Brighter Future For SVG.