Mauritius Institute of Education Workshop on Promoting Biology Education

I was nominated to represent the Science Department of the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE) in the workshop on ‘Promoting Biology Education in Secondary Schools: Opportunities and Challenges’, organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Science Centre (RGSC) as part of the National Science week 2020. The other spokespersons represented the parent ministry, the Mauritius Examination Syndicate, NGOs through the Society of Biology, and the University of Mauritius. My presentation, titled ‘Biology Transcending the Frontiers of Employability towards Sustainability’, focused on (i) how biology has shaped students into what they are today using video recorded voices of ex-biology students who are operating in both scientific and non-scientific sectors, and (ii) the role of the biology Department of MIE in transforming educators into ambassadors of sustainability. Through the ‘expose’ and a discussion session with different stakeholders, a positive perspective was adopted to value the role of the parent ministry, institutions, NGOs and especially the biology educators in developing sustainability skills and shaping the youth of today and the citizens of tomorrow.

Dr Shakeel Atchia Science department