The Fundi Bots Enhanced Science Curriculum (ESC) is our intervention to support, augment and amplify the National Schools Curriculum in Uganda as developed by the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) for Primary and Secondary School. Fundi Bots develops practical learning tools, modules, teacher guides and student guides and provides pedagogy training and classroom support for teachers. These tools are then used real time during classes to create a interactive, hands-on, student-centered learning experience.
The Enhanced Science Curriculum also has a Teacher Training component that engages teachers directly in improving pedagogy, increasing technical skills and amplifying student engagement.
10-year goal: Improve science learning for 350,000 African students and train 5,000 teachers across 850 schools by 2030
For the 2022 Pilot project, we identified schools from the four regions of Uganda: East, West, Central and North. The regional teams identified schools that are of different demographics to participate in the rollout so that we can get a feel of the effectiveness of our intervention in different scenarios. For the pilot of the rollout this year 2022, we have 8 schools in the Northern region, 7 schools in the Western region, 7 schools in the Eastern region and 11 schools in the Central region. We have a total of 33 schools in the rollout with 18 primary schools and 15 secondary schools.
The Fundi Bots team reviews the National Curriculum for a certain class level and selects a topic that we can provide support for. We then identify the intended learning outcomes from the National Curriculum and write the modules or class lesson plans with an accompanying student guide.
These modules are continuously reviewed until we find a suitable, equitable and practical way to achieve the learning outcomes stipulated in the curriculum.
We then build/ purchase the tools that are needed for experiments or activities in the modules and simulate a learning experience using the tools. The tools are tested rigorously and then multiplied, packed and delivered to schools for use in the classroom alongside the student and teacher guides.
Fundi Bots provides training for teachers across Uganda as we build the ESC tools. We also get feedback and ideas from teachers during the testing and development of tools.
When teachers use tools in the classroom for the first time, we provide a Rollout Support Staff, who assists the teacher in preparing for the classes and troubleshooting with tools or experiments that may not be working. They also report on the use of the tools and their effectiveness in the classroom.
Fundi Bots uses the data gleaned from the rollout to improve our tools and manuals to better serve the needs of the teachers and students in the regions.
We also iterate on design of tools continually to ensure that the most efficient use of resources is ensured and that the tools will be able to serve many cohorts of students.
Fundi Bots started the first pilot test of the Enhanced Science Curriculum in the first school term of 2020. Unfortunately, it was significantly impacted by COVID-19. We resumed the pilot in 2022 with a target of 33 schools, 65 teachers and 5,310 students.
The pilot is currently on tracking and heading into its second school term. The numbers reached are below.