Mobile planetarium incentive for learners to pursue science, tech, engineering and maths
By Adolf Kaure.
A total of 188 learners and teachers from Pioniers Park Primary School attended the recent Africa Millimetre Telescope (AMT) Mobile Planetarium event in Windhoek. The programme is sponsored by Nedbank.
The AMT Mobile Planetarium is an inflatable, interactive facility designed to bring the wonders of the cosmos directly to learners in Namibia.
The planetarium will be visiting different schools to provide hands-on astronomy education and to inspire young minds in the field of astrophysics and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
The planetarium offers a range of programmes tailored to different learners on different educational levels.
The senior AMT team member, Emmy Iiyambo, expressed her delight about the success of the pilot tour at the Pioniers Park Primary.
“The event educates learners about astronomy and science, fostering inspiration and motivation among them. The shows unfolded seamlessly, with learners displaying remarkable enthusiasm even before entering the planetarium. Their existing knowledge in astronomy was both surprising and motivational for us in the team.”
“The event’s success was evident as the excited learners left with numerous questions, displaying a hunger for further learning. As this was only the first show of the year, this positive outcome serves as a promising start, energising us for many more successful events ahead,” said Iiyambo.
Nedbank Namibia’s Communications and Public Relations Manager, Selma Kaulinge said that based on the positive impact the mobile planetarium had on its first excursion, the bank is on the right track when it comes to equipping the next generation of astronomers in Namibia.
“Seeing the awe and wonder on the faces of the learners during the planetarium school visit reaffirms the power of immersive experiences in education, especially when exposure begins at an earlier stage.”
“Our purpose of being money experts who do good, is a guiding factor for initiatives we support, and in this case, we are aware of how important these excursions are to the learners, especially in providing access to educational opportunities in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Kaulinge.
