The Nile Explorer Bus Extends STEM Learning Opportunities for Problem Solving to Students in Schools in Mukono & Entebbe

PHOTO: Students of Talents College School Mukono, together with their teacher, pose holding their STEM project/prototype showing traffic lights and CCTV cameras as a solution to reckless driving and road accidents.

MUKONO & ENTEBBE – For its second route, the Nile Explorer Bus, an initiative funded by the US Mission Uganda and implemented by Open Space Centre, headed to secondary schools in Mukono and Entebbe from 20th January to 28th January 2022. The bus took learning opportunities of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to the students of Talents College School Mukono and May Christian School Entebbe, over a period of eight days, after which they creatively innovated projects and prototypes depicting solutions to problems in their communities.

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The bus, last year, successfully completed its first route, traveling to parts of Kampala, Wakiso, Rakai, and Ssembabule to deliver the curriculum on board to young people in underserved communities. Now, due to the re-opening of schools last month, the Nile Explorer Bus has shifted its route to accommodate the schools’ curriculum, by going into these said schools and providing a supplement to the already existent education curriculum, but also providing a whole new strand of information initially not available or accessible to students.

At Talents College School Mukono, the students were extremely excited about the STEM curriculum. Divided into teams of three and four, the students built prototypes to solve problems ranging from reckless driving and road accidents, to early pregancies in their community.

One of the teams at the school came up with the innovative idea to use technology to develop a Phone-Book gadget that would ideally be easily accessed by all learners right from nursery to university level, and that would solve the glaring problem of loss or theft of notes, and the continuous over-spending on notebooks every term or semester.

“This Phone-Book can not be stolen, because it can be tracked. It belongs to the owner, and even if you take it, you can not get the password,” Immaculate, a student at Talents College School, explained.

Another set of students at May Christian School Entebbe – to solve a similar problem of loss of books at their school – came up with a creative idea to apply aspects of mechanical engineering to construct lockers that can be installed in their classroom.

“These lockers will contain everyone’s books and textbooks. They will be locked and everyone will have their own key to access them. No one will lose of forget their books for classes,” explained one of the innovators.

The Nile Explorer bus curriculum for STEM learning successfully included both aspects of science and art, while working towards inspiring innovation and creativity in the minds of the young learners. As a result of the bus stop, students at both schools were inspired to create science and art clubs that would enable the few chosen to pass on the information and skills learnt to their fellow students at school.

“We are going to ensure that we create a school club that will make learning science, technology, engineering, and math easier and more exciting for the students. This will also help us maintain the interest and improve their grades at school,” said Alison Atuhaire, the Senior Woman Teacher at Talents College School Mukono.

The Nile Explorer Bus commences its next stop this month of February 2022, setting out to put dreams in motion.