Academy of Science South Africa 2005/6 Annual Report

Programme 3ASSAfLinking South Africa withinternational scientific communitiesThe IAP operates a number of important multi-national programmes in which national academiesfrom various countries are voluntarily involved. The Global Water Programme recently received approvalfor its draft “Plan of Action” submitted during the year to the IAP Executive Committee. As many as41 Academies of Sciences have to date shown interest in getting involved in this programme. ASSAf, asone of the first, helped organise the IAP Science Education and the Global Water Programme for 2006.As part of the IAP Global Water Programme, the Water Research Commission of South Africa, onbehalf of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), will be organising a 3-day workshop(16–18 August 2006). The objective of the workshop is to bring together water researchers and high-levelwater managers to discuss the major problems that they are facing and to find possible solutions to theseproblems. A number of African science academies have expressed their interest in participating, namelythose of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Morocco, Zimbabweand Senegal, as well as the Africa Academy of Sciences.At the IAP-supported symposium on improving science teaching in Africa held in Dakar in March 2005,it was decided that there would be several follow-up activities. One of these was to be a workshop to discussthe development by the Network of Academies of Science of Africa (NASAC) of voluntary content tests forscience teachers across the continent. The Science Education Workshop was organised by ASSAf staff togetherwith Diane Grayson (MASSAf), and attendees were invited through the national science academies that aremembers of NASAC. An additional delegate from Sudan was invited at the suggestion of Mohamed Hassanof the IAP. The workshop was held on 23–24 March 2006, partly sponsored by the IAP (through two grantstotalling USD 11 000) and partly by ASSAf. The main objective of the workshop was to find ways to ensure thatteachers have the necessary content knowledge to teach science competently. It was agreed that a great dealmore had to be done in regard to this aspect of the teaching of science at African schools and would involvechanging prevailing policies regarding science teaching in Africa as a whole. The science educators present allagreed that it would be best if African countries could work together on this massive task. A workshop reportwill be issued to the participants and all African science academies as well as to other stakeholders.The Global Water Programmerecently received approval for itsdraft “Plan of Action” submittedduring the year to the IAP ExecutiveCommittee. As many as 41Academies of Sciences have to dateshown interest in getting involvedin this programme. ASSAf, as oneof the first, helped organise the IAPScience Education and the GlobalWater Programme for 2006.Annual Report 2005/0629