The Executive Director, Prof Ngila on International Conference on Chemistry Education (ICCE2024). https://www.icce2024thailand.com/
The various presentations discussed the role of chemistry education not only in classroom setting but also in societal context. Novel teaching and learning methods in chemistry were covered. Professional development of educators at all levels (school and university) were included. Societal context of chemistry education such as sustainability, ethics, diversity, equity, and inclusion were covered.
The topic of my presentation was: Chemical Sciences for SDGs: Effects of Gender, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Least Developed Countries (Emerging Economies). The main question is- how to ensure equity and inclusivity in education for everyone regardless of gender, economic status and geographical region?
Prof Ngila gave Talks at National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC) in Bangkok: https://www.sciencepark.or.th/en/innovation-community/NANOTEC/, where she presented on- Nanotechnology for Water Treatment research at the University of Johannesburg. She also gave another Talk at the Faculty of Science, Thammasat University (Rangsit Campus) in Bangkok, https://tu.ac.th/, presenting on nanotechnology applications as well as the activities we undertake at the African Foundation for Women and Youth in Education, Science Technology & Innovation: /
Conference Theme: The Power of Chemistry Education for Advancing SDGs. The international conference on chemistry education is a global platform for educators, teachers, chemists, and scientists around the world to bring chemical education closer to sustainable prosperity and pave the way to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Specific Objectives
1) To provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas related to chemical education among researchers, educators, students, and other stakeholders from around the world.
2) To facilitate collaboration and networking among individual and institutions involved in chemical education, with the aim of fostering partnerships and joint initiatives that can improve the quality and accessibility of chemical education globally.
3) To contribute to the achievement of the UN SDGs by promoting the role of chemistry education in addressing global challenges such as climate change and inequality.
The ICCE 2024 also included the 12th International Symposium on Microscale Chemistry.
The side events on micro-scale chemistry was really fascinating to see how we can make can conduct laboratory experiments with small quantities of chemical reagents and with simpler equipment.
According to late Prof John Bradley of University of Witwatersrand, “Practical chemistry could be expensive due to the cost of chemicals and equipment. Using small-scale plastic apparatus allows cost, safety and waste disposal problems to be addressed. Prof Bradley and the team, developed a microchemistry system based on cheap microscale equipment which were easy to use for individual students, as well as convenient for teachers to implement.
For those learning institutions where students do not have access to modern laboratories, small scale chemistry practicals would be useful, to provide students with hand-on experience during practical classes.
