New innovation to ignite students’ interest in STEM subjects at an early age

Dar es Salaam. The government has launched motivational initiatives aimed at igniting students' interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at an early age.

The incentives include scholarships such as the Samia Scholarship, which has been offered to highly successful science students.

Another initiative is the BandaJamii initiative, a programme targeting children as young as 9 years old with the goal of fostering a deep understanding of STEM subjects.

In collaboration with Ubongo Kids and the Rotary Club of Dar es Salaam Sunset, educational content is broadcast within the community hut, where children gather to engage with the materials.

The initiative, which was launched on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Keko Magurumbasi ‘B’ Ward, Dar es Salaam City, focuses on nurturing an interest in mathematics and alleviating any anxieties associated with the subject.

Speaking to The Citizen, the project director, Mr Mbaki Mutahaba, underlined the importance of introducing STEM education early, particularly for children aged 9–13.

“The project is designed to provide various educational programmes to the community through entertainment. Today, we are focusing on providing STEM education using content from Ubongo Kids to empower children with an understanding of technology and the importance of data,” he said.

For his part, Mr Christopher Maganga, a teacher involved in the project, stressed the significance of parental engagement in understanding the importance of STEM education and in encouraging children to embrace the subjects without fear.

“In our community, many parents are not familiar with STEM subjects; therefore, starting to provide education to these children is the root of making them have an interest in these subjects while they are still young.

“Take mathematics, for example; when they see their peers solving problems in videos, they immediately gain skills there and then,” he explained.