The Science Resource Centre

The Science Resource Centre is a laboratory for students attending Junior High School (JHS). Public schools in Ghana don't usually have specialist class rooms and laboratory equipment for science lessons. To provide the students with good scientific education, that enables easy access to appropriate materials and equipment in the area of science teaching, the Education Service of Cape Coast established the Science Resource Centre with two locations, the North Centre in Abura and the South Centre in town. After learning the theory of physical, chemical or biological phenomena in their base school the students come to the lab to see and conduct experiments and practicals for a deeper understanding of the respective topics. Twenty classes from ten different schools in Cape Coast are coming to each centre once a week. Thus, in total about 1500 students are trained at the Science Resource Centre each term. Depending on the curriculum for the respective class level, different topics are taught every week. Furthermore, students gain experience in the identification, handling, and use of laboratory equipment and progress in their ability to conduct scientific experiments. The goal of the Centre is not only to foster scientific education of JHS students but also to provide professional development opportunities for science teachers in Cape Coast.