The training conducted by the Practical Education Network (PEN) is part of the many capacity-building trainings by the Youth Rising project. Such initiatives improve the learning outcomes of teachers by infusing the MIT-style “learning-by-doing” to enable hands-on science and math regardless of resource constraints. PEN will employ a blended mode of teaching in which the first training modules of “in-person” has been completed. They will continue the delivery of other models via an online learning management system and live video conferencing.

While visiting the Booker Washington Institute in Kakata on Friday, Minister Ansu Sonnie, Minister of Education, D. Zogar Willson, Minister of Youth and Sports along with other government officials paid a courtesy visit to the TVET Center for Professional Training Research and Development (TCPTRI) where the STEM training was taking place.

During the visit, Minister Sonnie emphasized the need for Liberians including parents, teachers and students to take Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) seriously as a career course and not an option for High School & College dropouts. “TVET is the track, TVET is not a substitute, TVET should not be subordinated”, underlined Minister Sonnie.

Ms. Sangay Freeman, Director of STEM at the Ministry of Education, expressed her appreciation to the government of Liberia, the European Union and the Government of Sweden for their support in the ongoing STEM training. She explained the importance of the training for primary and high school teachers and how it connects TVET and STEM. She joined the minister of education to emphasize the importance of science and TVET and how TVET can contribute to economic growth and self-substance for youth and other Liberians.

The international consultant conducting the training stressed the need for STEM to be more practical and localized as well as using local materials for teaching STEM and making it locally relevant.