Eyob Ayechew, an Electronics Expert at STEMpower Ethiopia, supports students who come to the mobile STEM lab, which has been offering services for more than the last five years. The lab was established by his non-profit organization and accommodates hands-on educational materials in electronics, computer skills, industrial computing, and 3D printing.
The mobile truck lab, assembled within a refurbished truck, enables students across the country to access renewable lab kits and hands-on materials to practice what they have learned in theory in the classroom. It especially benefits those who do not have equal access to the materials, thereby integrating theoretical learning with practical trials.
Eyob told The Ethiopian Herald that such an approach narrows the practical knowledge gap between students who have access to materials and those who do not. The number of students interested in using STEMpower’s lab has been increasing over time, requiring the organization to establish selection criteria for participation.
This initiative helps students experience digital life in STEM education. The mobile lab serves 600 to 700 students per year, with 15 to 20 students at a time. The lab has improved STEMpower’s overall capability, enabling over 1,000 students to access hands-on materials each year, he said.
So far, the mobile lab has served students in various parts of the country, including Bishoftu and Wollo, where the organization’s lab experts have guided students from more than 20 schools. “One of our programs is a lab session. The national curriculum includes activities that students should practice, and our lab allows them to verify what they have learned in theory. This could be checking the practicality of a physics formula or making a chemical solution,” Eyob noted.
A shortage of funding is the major challenge in expanding well-equipped laboratories across the country. Therefore, the Ministry of Education or any university could contribute three or four trucks that could be transformed into mobile labs to help students with practical learning, he suggested.
For example, Eyob mentioned that Jimma University is finalizing a similar mobile lab facility by drawing lessons from STEMpower’s experience. Expanding such labs helps introduce, discover, and promote students’ innovative skills using the latest technologies.
STEMpower Ethiopia Country Director SemenewKeskes (PhD) stated that the organization looks forward to other partners stepping in to support STEM education, including the expansion of mobile labs.
According to him, establishing STEM centers across the country is expensive. Therefore, the mobile lab is an innovative approach that STEMpower has applied by bringing the lab directly to students in different areas.
Partners like Ethiopian Airlines could provide STEMpower with a bus or two, which could then be renovated and equipped with the necessary lab facilities. These vehicles would serve students across the country while also carrying the branding of both Ethiopian Airlines and STEMpower. Other organizations, such as Ethio Telecom and Universities could also support STEM education by providing vehicles that could be converted into mobile labs, Semenew added.
He stated that his organization could convert about 10 buses or trucks into mobile labs if the necessary vehicles were provided.
Established 15 years ago in the USA, STEMpower has set up more than 65 STEM centers in Ethiopia. However, Semenew emphasized that in a country with a population of over 100 million, having only 65 STEM centers is not sufficient. Therefore, he called on all relevant stakeholders to collaborate in expanding such centers while leveraging and repurposing existing ones.
“We deeply believe that STEM education is highly impactful—without it, we cannot achieve anything. STEM education is the foundation of innovation. In such a digitalized world, if we are not competent enough, we cannot actually move an inch,” Semenew stressed.
The Director added that the organization faces financial and bureaucratic challenges, making it difficult to reach every corner of the country with its vital hands-on education. He urged the government and decision-makers to prioritize and invest in the expansion of STEM education, understanding its potential to improve citizens’ lives.
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 1 APRIL 2025
