Background
The Africa Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Forum 2022 was held from 1st to 2nd March 2022, organized by UNECA and hosted by the Government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Education. The Forum was preceded by the virtual Youth Innovation Bootcamp and a physical bootcamp that ran parallel to the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum. One of the Outcomes from the Forum was a commitment from the UNECA to support the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Foundational Skills in STEM Basic Education in Kigali. The Honorable Minister of Education holds the position of chair of the Regional STI Forum until the next Forum which will be held in March 2023 and the Centre should be established before this time.
The promotion of STEAM education aligns with the worldwide trend of equipping students for the rapid economic, scientific and technological developments, as well as the changes and challenges in society and around the world. In the context of the Rwandan school curriculum, STEAM education is important to strengthening effective implementation of the Competence Based Curriculum (CBC).
Objectives of the validation workshop
The overall objective of the Validation Workshop which is going to be held in Kigali is for the approval of the strategic document produced to establish the African STEAM center of excellence (STEAM CoE) in Kigali with the support of UNECA and other partner organizations. During the three days validation workshop, the strategic document will be reviewed by experts from the field, the technical and steering committees formed and other key stakeholders in the area hence enriching the strategic document.
The Strategic Document
The strategic document enumerates: The anticipated mission, vision, Objectives, rational and expected outcomes of the STEAM Center of Excellence. The proposed laboratories, the core and fundamental engagement areas, the organizational structure, the office facilities and human resource needed to run the STEAM center are also stipulated in the document. Proposed office and laboratory facilities, different partnership and collaboration schemes, the short and long term plans of the center and the overall estimated cost to establish the center are also some of the main ingredients which are emphasized in the strategic document. All the needed equipment, software, hardware and office facilities and all equipment important to furnish all the labs and offices are also presented in the strategic document with their detail specification.
Documents: