Day 16

A test tube for chemistry lessons in the Philippines

Experiments for chemistry lessons

Equipping laboratories in the Philippines

Ten years ago, around 1,000 students were studying in 20 classrooms at the San Miguel National High School in Puerto Princesa in the Philippines. Today, the school has almost three times as many students. The city's population has grown significantly. Every year, new classrooms have to be built and equipped. There is often not enough money for good technical equipment in the laboratory rooms. On their own initiative, the high school chemistry teachers have fitted a laboratory room with tiles and laid a water pipe. Otherwise, the laboratory room is hardly different from a normal classroom - for example, there are no Bunsen burners, test tubes or chemicals. Without experiments, the students can only learn chemistry from textbooks.

need

A laboratory setup for a chemistry classroom at San Miguel National High School in the Philippines.

activity

The school purchases various laboratory materials such as test tubes, Bunsen burners and chemicals for teaching 2,700 students.

Measurable performance

Number of laboratory materials that can be purchased for chemistry lessons.

Result

2,700 students can conduct their own experiments in chemistry classes for the first time. The students' knowledge of chemistry increases and they have a better chance of passing the entrance exam for science courses at university.

Systemically relevant impact

The quality of education in public schools is improving. Differences between private schools and public schools are becoming smaller.

background

The Philippines has a high literacy rate compared to the rest of the world. 96.3% of those over 15 can read and write (CIA World Factbook 2015). However, the quality of education varies greatly. While private schools are well equipped and usually only have 20 children in a class, state schools are often poorly equipped and have large classes, often with 50 to 60 children.

When students from public schools such as San Miguel National High School later apply for university, they feel at a clear disadvantage. Many graduates of San Miguel National High School do not meet the requirements for a science degree and do not pass the entrance exam. As a rule, only graduates from private schools are successful. This clearly shows that social background plays a role in determining educational opportunities and career choices.

The good deed

The good deed brings experiments into the chemistry lessons at San Miguel National High School. Two laboratories are to be fully equipped. In addition to the purchase of test tubes, this also includes the purchase of Bunsen burners, chemicals, secure storage cabinets, glass stirring rods, measuring cylinders, and microscopes. The materials are purchased locally so that spare parts are always available locally. With the technical equipment, the students will be able to conduct their own experiments in class for the first time.