Just over one year after the FNR and partners in the area of research and education signed a cooperation agreement to support the natural sciences education of primary school teachers in the country, the new SciTeach Center at the University of Luxembourg has officially opened its doors. The Center was opened in the presence of Marc Hansen, Luxembourg’s Secretary of State for Higher Education.
Within the framework of the official opening, invited guests (journalists, school teachers, principals, students of educational sciences) were able to meet the SciTeach team and gather information about workshops, resources and educational courses.
The Science Teacher Resource Center – or SciTeach Center for short – is a new resource where primary school teachers will be offered educational courses to expand their knowledge in the field of natural sciences. These courses will be accredited by the IFEN. Teachers will also be able to benefit from various teaching materials which will be made available for the teachers to use in their classrooms.
The FNR is the main sponsor of the SciTeach Center’s three-year pilot phase, in cooperation with the University of Luxembourg, Service de Coordination de la Recherche et de l’Innovation pédagogiques et technologiques (SCRIPT), Institut de formation de l’éducation nationale (IFEN), Ministry of Education and Research.
When the agreement to support the initiative was signed in January 2016, the FNR’s Secretary General Marc Schiltz commented:
“Over the last few years, Luxembourg has significantly expanded its efforts in the area of research and innovation – this is an investment in the future. It is now essential to inspire future generations to develop a passion for this area. This is why the FNR wants to increase the status of natural sciences across primary schools in Luxembourg.”
The SciTeach Center is located in the Maison du Savoir (Atelier 4.550) on the Belval Campus of the University of Luxembourg (in the south of Luxembourg).