IICBA and the UNESCO Addis Ababa Liaison Office jointly organized a five-day STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) training workshop from 3–7 June 2019 in Bishoftu, Ethiopia. The workshop was for 19 key teacher educators selected from the UNESCO-HNA Project beneficiary teacher training institutions in Ethiopia, namely Bahir Dar University, Kotebe Metropolitan University and Hawassa College of Teacher Education. The workshop was co-facilitated by Dr. Temechegn Engida and Mr. Solomon Andargie from IICBA and Dr. Demelsah Zenebe from the UNESCO Addis Ababa Liaison Office.

The aim of the workshop was to introduce current STEM pedagogies and curriculum ideas for better preparing STEM teachers in Ethiopia. The instructional design approach was discussed along with how to use e-learning STEM content and e-assessment with a gender lens. During the workshop, technology-based opportunities for course development and delivery through e-books and coding practices for increased gender equality were also introduced. Participants were presented with software applications for creating versatile e-books and coding practices to enhance the engagement of girls in STEM.

This STEM intervention is part of the UNESCO-HNA Funds-In-Trust Project in Ethiopia that aims to enhance the quality and relevance of education for adolescent girls, and ensure that all girls have access to and transition through the full education cycle successfully, so that they can lead better lives. IICBA is tasked with technical backstopping in institutional capacity building for gender mainstreaming in education, gender-responsive pedagogy and teacher training in both Ethiopia and Ghana.

To learn more about the project and the UNESCO-HNA Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education, please visit https://en.unesco.org/themes/education-and-gender-equality/hna-partnership. Or watch how we’re transforming girls’ education in Ethiopia [insert video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyV5h_9mY40&feature=youtu.be]

Also, meet Eden, Blen and Hareg, three Ethiopian girls who value their education and have benefitted from this project [insert video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZfnVkf0PC4]