Meeting the Challenges of Sustainable Development in Africa through Science and Technology Education.

Date: May 24-28, 2009

Venue: Abuja Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja, NIGERIA

Conference Registration Fee: =N=35,000 or U.S. $300 payable by bank draft issued in favour of "Science Teachers Association of Nigeria"and forwarded to:

ICASE African Representative
Science Teachers Association of Nigeria
The STAN Place
Kwali
P.M.B. 777
Garki
Abuja
Nigeria

Preamble
Africa entered the 21st Century with both promise and challenges. There were high hopes as increasing number of countries adopted democratic governance and collectively insisted that it was unacceptable to be perceived as a continent prone to endemic violence, and where peace, security, stability, and development are but a distant possibility. However, the low level of investment in the development of human capital, distortions in the institutional framework for economic management are some of the critical factors that have handicapped the harnessing of the rich resource potential in the continent, and also forestalled economic development.

The Perth Declaration of the ICASE 2007 World Conference on Science and Technology Education suggests a ray of hope for Africa through quality science and technology education. The Declaration accented to by delegates from over 50 countries recommends that governments should adopt science and technology education as the main lever for sustainable development. The overarching goals are to place African countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development; eradicate poverty; halt the marginalisation of Africa in the globalisation process and enhance its full and beneficial integration into the global economy.

An earlier ICASE conference recognized the need for partnership if science education is to be relevant for both responsible citizenship and for careers. This partnership is seen as essential for sustainable development to be a serious component of science and technology education for future partnerships.

The challenges facing sustainable development in Africa cannot be handled by Government alone. They require all segments of the African community to be involved. The recent PISA international study has highlighted concerns in the few African countries which participated and hence this conference is a timely attempt to bring together science educators in Africa to consider how relevant science and technology education for all can move forward and play its role in providing future citizens with knowledge, skills and values for sustainable development.

Objectives

The ICASE-2009 Africa Conference will
• review development in Africa in all its facets with a view to identifying key challenges that can be addressed through science and technology education;
• examine the role of science and technology education for relevance in meeting the challenges facing the region especially in agriculture/food security, poverty alleviation, HIV and AIDS, and peace building;
• suggest effective science and technology education/methodologies especially in curriculum development, the role of the teacher and teacher development, and bridging the digital divide.
• propose strategies for strengthening sub-regional and regional partnerships in supporting the delivery of quality science and technology education;
• specify the role of science and technology education in promoting sustainable development through sub-regional (e.g. ECOWAS and SADC) and regional (e.g. NEPAD) networks; and
• develop an Action Plan on science and technology education for sustainable development in Africa.

Call for papers
Participants are invited to submit summaries and full text of papers, and proposals for poster sessions and workshops. The organizers intend to publish the conference proceedings ahead of the conference. Therefore, all papers intended for presentation during the conference have to be submitted in full including summary. The full paper should not be longer than 10 pages, A4 size. The paper should be typed single spaced using Times New Roman font size point 12. All presentation should conform to the formats prescribed below for the conference.

Format of the Summary
The summary of a typical paper intended for oral presentation should contain a description of the paper in not more than one A4 page. This will be used to describe the paper in the conference programme. The summary should include the title, author's name, institutional affiliation, country, specialization and a maximum of five (5) key-terms. The key-terms are designed to provide a guide to the issues raised or discussed in the paper. The summary should also include the purpose of the paper, issues addressed/research methodology, proposed solutions/major findings and conclusion(s).

Format of the full paper
The full paper should be structured as follows:

1. Introduction
2. Objectives/Research questions
3. Conceptual framework/Theory
4. Issues addressed/Design and procedure
5. Proposed solutions/Findings
6. Conclusion(s)

Posters
Poster size should not exceed 1.0 x1.5 metres

Deadline
The deadline for online submission of papers and proposals is 31 December 2008. Please submit directly through the following e-mail address: eniayeju@stanonline.org with copy to jack@ut.ee

Duration of Presentations

• Papers
  1. Sub-theme Keynote speakers: 45 minutes plus 45 minutes of question /discussion time.
  2. Contributed papers: 15 minutes plus 5 minutes of question time.
• Workshops
  Workshops should be planned for 60 or 90 minutes and so indicated in the proposal.

About Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria's purpose-built capital, is a beautiful city in central Nigeria. It is located in the Federal Capital Territory. The city officially replaced Lagos as the capital in December 1991. It is located in a scenic valley of rolling grasslands. At the north-eastern end stands the most striking feature on Abuja's landscape, Aso Rock, a 400metre-high monolith. Aso means 'success' or 'victory'. According to legend, the original inhabitants of the region lived at the base of the rock for centuries, unconquered. For them, Aso served as a place of refuge as well as a mystical source of strength. At the base of the rock, the Presidential Complex, National Assembly, and the Supreme Court lie in the Three Arms Zone, so called because it houses the administrative offices of the executive, legislative, and judicial arms of the Federal Government. Government agencies began moving into the new capital in the early 1980s, as residential neighbourhoods were being developed in outlying areas. Today, Abuja remains one of the modern cities in Africa. It has an international airport and is linked to other cities in Nigeria by air and a network of highways. It has a population of slightly over one million. The weather at the time of the conference is expected to be warm with temperatures ranging from 240C - 300C, so warm clothings are not required.
(Click here for Abuja Hotels' Tariff)

Further Information

Please contact the Conference Convenors: