Why do we need to learn

science?

Lotte Renault, PhD

Lafaek Project
CARE International Timor Leste
Is this science?
Is this science?
Or is this science?
Science = logical solutions for
a better life
 Science learnt in the
classroom = solutions for
our lives?
 Science for what?
• Agriculture
– Better management
– Identifying opportunities
– Increased production
– Smaller time spent in
agricultural tasks
– Food security
– Creating economical resources
 Science for what?
• Health
– Disease prevention
– Better nutrition using local resources
– Looking for health treatment
– Avoiding hazards
 Science for what?
• Training Human Resources
– Develop logical thinking
– Quality control
– Demand for technicians
– Identify opportunities
– Develop industries and
commerce
 Science for what?
• Understanding Timor
– Using natural resources
– Environmental conservation
– Energy management
– Identifying opportunities and hazards
 Science for what?
• Understanding Timor-Leste in a wider
context
– Pride in being Timorese; ready to be a
citizen of the world
– Universal laws
– Environmental changes
– Worldwide efforts
The average daily life of a young
Timorese woman in a rural area:
– Heavy domestic work: carrying water,
gathering firewood
– Heavy work in agriculture, drought, poor
harvests, plagues
– Limited or absent power supply
– Limited access to information
– Many children
– Poor nutrition
– Environmental hazards
– Malaria, dengue, parasites, anemia
Average amount of chores performed daily by
girls and boys in grades 5-6, in Timor-Leste
(2009)
Add a bit of science and you have….
– Safe water supply
– Use of alternative energies
– Good agricultural management
• Enriching the soil
• Choosing crops adequate to the soil type and local climate
• Managing plagues
• Good animal husbandry
– Family planning
– Increased food availability and quality
– Increased access to information →improved health
– Environmental management → disaster risk reduction
My great- Me
grandmoth
er

What made the difference?

Science.
 Teaching Science in Timor-
Leste
• The Lafaek children magazines:
presenting integrated science in a child-
friendly, meaningful way

• Distributed to 320,000 students and

teachers in all Timorese schools from
G1 to G9
Science can:
• Improve our lives
• Promote a fair society
• Promote gender balance
• Make us think beyond our cultural
and social boundaries
• Help to overcome prejudices.
Lafaek is a tool to:
• Increase Timorese children’s
knowledge about their own country
• Increase scientific knowledge useful
in the Timorese context
• Help Timorese children understand
the world around them
• Build a better society through
knowledge.