The Botswana International University of Science & Technology (BIUST), through its Planetary and Space Science Team in collaboration with Diamonds in the Sky and the Regional Education Office Southern Botswana, hosted a 3-day teachers training workshop for science and astronomy in Kanye.

The outreach project sponsored by the International Astronomical Union (IAU-OAD) aims to promote science education for teachers and pupils and provide practical training in basic science experiments and, mostly, astronomy for practical use with their students.

Emphasis was on enabling teachers, particularly young women, to carry on with practical science and astronomy instruction with simple tools that can be used and replicated in other rural schools.

The trained primary schools were Mogwalale, Manyana, Seherelela, Tshidilamolomo Selokolela, Tlhareseleele, Cwagare, Diabo, Lekgolobotlo and Machana. They were selected for this pilot project as they were facing mammoth challenges and their teachers are set to receive extra training and would also be given a small telescope to guarantee sustainability of these kinds of events.

At the end of the training on astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science, each school was awarded a telescope, a science kit and paper microscopes for activities with their pupils.

Dr Franchi and the team from Diamonds in the Sky travelled to Machana Primary School and presented 94 pupils with paper microscopes for their science classes and they were treated to a star gazing session.