On September 14th, under the guidance of the China Ministry of Education and the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, the "2026 China-Africa STEM Education Teacher Training Cooperation Program" workshop was initiated, hosted by the UNESCO Teacher Education Center and Shanghai Normal University (SHNU). This year's workshop focuses on "AI+STEM Education" and "the Development of Female STEM Teachers". More than 80 education officials, teacher educators, experts, scholars, and primary and secondary schools in the STEM field from 13 African countries, including Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia, embarked on a training journey in Shanghai.
Thokozire Catherine Banda, the Permanent Secretary of Malawi Ministry of Education and Science, said that the effectiveness of artificial intelligence relies on the increasing capacities of teachers; meanwhile, conditions should be created for more girls and women to participate in science and engineering;
Vice President Huang Hong of SHNU pointed out that this training program focuses on empowering STEM education with artificial intelligence and promoting women's participation in STEM development, addressing the practical needs of basic education and teacher team building in Africa. It is expected that the participants will translate the training concepts into actions suitable for their own classrooms and schools. Director Zhang Minxuan of UNESCO TEC (Teacher Education Center) discussed the fundamental role of teachers in educational development and the practical significance of China-Africa educational cooperation.
After the opening remarks, Song Jia, the project leader of the "China-Africa STEM Education Teacher Training Cooperation Program," presided over the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding between the UNESCO Teacher Education Center and the Malawian Ministry of Education and Science. This marks a further step in promoting cooperation in areas such as teacher professional development, training exchanges, teaching resource sharing, and digital platform construction, laying the foundation for the sustainable development of educational cooperation between China and Malawi.
Participants will focus on topics such as AI empowering STEM education, professional development of female STEM teachers, and a global climate lesson. Through thematic learning, policy exchanges, school visits, classroom observations, STEM education workshops, etc., they will seek practical solutions that can address educational issues in their own countries.
