Why do we need to learn science?

Lotte Renault, PhDLafaek Project

CARE International Timor Leste

Is this science?

Is this science?

Or is this science?

Science = logical solutions for a better life

Science learnt in the classroom = solutions for our lives?

Science for what?

• Agriculture– Better management – Identifying opportunities– Increased production– Smaller time spent in

agricultural tasks– Food security– Creating economical resources

Science for what?

• Health– Disease prevention– Better nutrition using local resources– Looking for health treatment– Avoiding hazards

Science for what?

• Training Human Resources– Develop logical thinking– Quality control– Demand for technicians – Identify opportunities– Develop industries and commerce

Science for what?

• Understanding Timor– Using natural resources– Environmental conservation– Energy management– Identifying opportunities and hazards

Science for what?

• Understanding Timor-Leste in a wider context– Pride in being Timorese; ready to be a citizen of

the world– Universal laws– Environmental changes– Worldwide efforts

The average daily life of a young Timorese woman in a rural area: – Heavy domestic work: carrying water, gathering

firewood– Heavy work in agriculture, drought, poor harvests,

plagues – Limited or absent power supply– Limited access to information– Many children– Poor nutrition– Environmental hazards– Malaria, dengue, parasites, anemia

Average amount of chores performed daily by girls and boys in grades 5-6, in Timor-Leste (2009)

Add a bit of science and you have….– Safe water supply– Use of alternative energies– Good agricultural management

• Enriching the soil • Choosing crops adequate to the soil type and local climate• Managing plagues• Good animal husbandry

– Family planning– Increased food availability and quality– Increased access to information →improved health– Environmental management → disaster risk reduction

What made the difference?

Science.

My great-grandmother

Me

Teaching Science in Timor-Leste• The Lafaek children magazines: presenting

integrated science in a child-friendly, meaningful way

• Distributed to 320,000 students and teachers in all Timorese schools from G1 to G9

Science can: • Improve our lives• Promote a fair society• Promote gender balance• Make us think beyond our cultural and social

boundaries• Help to overcome prejudices.

Lafaek is a tool to: • Increase Timorese children’s knowledge about

their own country • Increase scientific knowledge useful in the

Timorese context• Help Timorese children understand the world

around them• Build a better society through knowledge.