OPINION
“Science is fun, join us!” This is the call of Dr. Raïssa Malu to all learners, students and educators throughout Africa. An international STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) educational consultant and physicist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Malu was educated in Belgium at the Catholic University of Louvain.
She then worked as a computer scientist in the banking sector, a research assistant in the nuclear sector, and a professor in higher education, before returning home eight years ago.
Speaking at the 2022 edition of the African School of Fundamental Physics and Applications (ASP2022) held at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, from November 28 to December 9, Malu said: “In 2011, when I visited Kinshasa to present the mathematics education book I had written for teachers, I realized that it was more important to work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo than in Belgium, and I returned home to promote STEM among young people, teachers and all citizens.
More than 100 of Africa’s best senior and postgraduate physics, mathematics, engineering and computer science students, including 60 from South Africa, attended ASP2022, and another 100 African students from across the continent participated online.
The students were selected from hundreds of applicants and spent two weeks undergoing intensive practical training and participating in lectures by some 40 international experts. The ASP is a continental school that started in 2010 to build capacity in physics in Africa; it is held in a different African country every two years.
“My whole goal is that I don’t want math and science to be barriers for our students. I want these subjects to be fun and I want students across Africa to know what wonderful careers they can pursue in subjects like physics,” said Malu, who has authored books on physics and published one on chemistry education.
In 2013, he founded a non-profit organization in Kinshasa called Investing in People, which organizes the annual Science and Technology Week in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to promote STEM to youth and citizens across the country.
“Working together with the Ministry of Education, we are reforming the teaching of mathematics, science, technology and innovation in schools and universities,” said Malu, who has been selected as a Next Einstein Forum ambassador for her country.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has 92 million inhabitants, of which 54% are under 18 years of age. There are 6.8 million high school students and 564,000 college students in the country’s 272 higher education institutions.
“As with all countries, some of these are very high end; others are not, and we are working to improve the general standard in all parts of the country,” Malu said.
The 2022 edition of the Kinshasa Science and Technology Week was sponsored by the DRC First Lady’s foundation, the Fondation Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi.
“Science and Technology Week is all about developing a scientific and technological culture on the continent and promoting African scientists,” Malu explained. “We need many more young men and women to pursue Stem careers and we do this by bringing science to life and sparking interest in these issues.”
Malu’s personal physics journey was inspired by his mother, Mariette Thienza, and his late father, Professor Félix Malu wa Kalenga, an internationally renowned nuclear physicist and engineer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who was director of the nuclear center at the country. He was also a proponent of new sources of renewable energy, producing one of the first studies on the energy demand necessary for Africa’s development.
The world’s richest uranium deposit was discovered in 1915 at Shinkolobwe in the south of the country (at that time it was the Belgian Congo). “We were the first on the continent to have a nuclear reactor and to build a second-generation nuclear reactor,” Malu said.
“My father had a lot to do with a love of science and the need for discipline and impact to make a difference in your country. He had many opportunities to work abroad, but he taught us the importance of staying in the DRC and helping our country and continent. From my mom I learned to keep my mind and heart open.”
He said that his father and Ghana’s leading professor of mathematical physics, the late Professor Francis Kofi Ampenyin Allotey, were the only black scientists in big science (science with large-scale instruments, facilities and equipment) in the second half of the last century. .
“Today that has changed, but we still want to see many more great scientific contributors from the continent, and we are working on that,” Malu said.
She said that over the past decade there has been a significant increase in students in the Democratic Republic of Congo wanting to study Stem subjects, including many more female students.
ASP2022: a revelation
Following her presentation at ASP2022, Malu was asked by three students from the National University of Lesotho if they could be a part of her Stem development initiative in Lesotho. She immediately said they could: “We are happy to share what we have learned and to have online sessions.”
Mosa Masupha from the National University of Lesotho said: “As a young physics student, ASP2022 has opened my eyes to different fields of physics. In Lesotho, one can only branch out into science education. Being in ASP has also made me aware of the impact and results of scientific research and projects carried out in different African countries.
“Working with Dr. Malu will help us continue her work in our country. Her advice will guide us in establishing a scientific community that is central to the scientific needs of our country. Right now in Lesotho there is a lack of budget for science research and development, so I would love to see the government fund this. The teaching of Stem subjects is also generally outdated in our country, with theories and experiments placing most students light years ahead of their international peers. As physics students, we would like to help change this.”
Mathai Ramahlele from the National University of Lesotho said: “As an engineering student, ASP2022 has given me the opportunity to meet and be lectured by some of the best professors in the field. It inspires and motivates me to be as great as they are.
“I would love to do online sessions with someone like Dr. Malu, who is powerful and creative in the way she shares scientific knowledge, which inspires young people to want to explore science. It is an opportunity that should be accessible to all children.
“What I would like to see in science and technology in Lesotho is more Stem programs introduced into our education system and our labs updated as many are decades old and the equipment and references used are out of date. Also, I would like to see an improvement in career guidance in our country, as high school students are not aware of the various scientific fields and careers that can be pursued.”
Vuyela Bob from the National University of Lesotho said: “As a student of physics and geography, ASP2022 has played an important role in my understanding of the various phenomena in physics and has given me an amazing experience in learning and interacting with professionals in physics. different fields of physics. .
“Organizing online sessions with someone as knowledgeable and effective as Dr. Malu will be of great importance to us in Lesotho and will help us with the right tools to have the same impact that she has in our own country.
“I would love to see scientists get the recognition they deserve from our government in Lesotho so that young children can be inspired to venture into science as many of the problems in Africa and the world can be solved through scientific methods. especially physics.
“I would love to see partnerships and programs established in Lesotho for all physics students at all academic levels so that we can participate in science for development initiatives on our African continent.”
Heather Dugmore is a journalist and writer specializing in higher education.
