Approximately 300 science and math educators from regions around Afghanistan came together in August for a conference on “Professionalizing Natural Math and Science Teaching in Afghanistan.”  The conference aimed to connect people and establish the Natural Science and Math Educators Association of Afghanistan (NSMEAA) association.

With little equipment or up to date research on teaching, science and math educators struggled during years of conflict to find interesting ways to teach their students.  Students spent most of their time memorizing notes and experiments without ever seeing a practical demonstration or having a chance to do their own hands on research.

USAID’s Higher Education Project (HEP) has been working with science and math teachers for the past two years.  As the culmination of HEP’s work, the conference aimed to create a sustainable system for Afghans to continue the development of their training and research methods.

A participant at the conference from Paktya said, “We have done many things to make teaching science and math more interactive and practical for the students and for the teachers.  This conference is very good because it brings everyone together and we see that all over the country we have the same issues.”  Deputy Minister of Higher Education Professor Osman Barbury spoke of the importance of the association at the opening ceremony saying, “Such associations are important for the development of math and science education, and the development of Afghanistan.”