NAMIBIAN girls will have an opportunity to participate in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics fair especially designed for their gender group.
The first-ever Walvis Bay fair will be hosted in September, and will allow girls from Grades 1 to 12 to investigate different categories in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The brainchild of Anastacia de Klerk, the fair seeks to provide girls with opportunities to make meaningful connections to the real world, while they develop skills, behaviour and dispositions which are necessary for college, career and adult life. The fair is set to take place from 6-8 September 2018 at the Walvis Bay town hall, and will encourage girls to take part in scientific exploration and discovery as well as promote a deep, lifelong passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Although this year’s fair is only for pupils at Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, the organisers are planning to take it to other parts of the country in future, and eventually turn it into a national event.
According to De Klerk, the event will help girls to communicate information effectively, collect and interpret data, use evidence to justify their thinking, managing time, and provide opportunities to ask “why”, leading to the development of an experiment or design of a solution/innovation.
Furthermore, the event hopes to create a scholarship fund for disadvantaged Namibian schoolgirls who excel academically and wish to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
There will be a competition for junior primary and senior primary pupils, as well as for secondary school pupils.
A maximum of 15 entries will be accepted per school. Pupils can take part in animal science, environmental science, food science, physics and astronomy, medical science, chemistry, plant science, energy and electricity and social science.
The technology category will include information and communication technology, robotics, coding and programming, while the engineering section will involve construction, bridge building and architecture. There will also be a mathematics and statistics category.
All entries should be mailed to wbstem.fair@gmail.com before 17h00 on 3 August 2018. Entry fees will be N$50 per learner.
Various prizes are up for grabs, including a trip to the United States in July 2019 for pupils with the best primary school and secondary school projects.
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