As a child Solomon King Benge loved Eric Laithwaite’s 1974 book The Engineer in Wonderland, based on the mechanical engineer’s 1966 Royal Institution Christmas lectures. After reading it he asked his physics teacher if he and his classmates might try some of Laithwaite’s practical experiments, but was told: “Don’t waste your time with this. This is not important, because it’s not in the curriculum.”
The rejection promoted Benge to launch Fundi Bots in 2011. The social education initiative aims to give education a stronger practical focus, a move away from learning by rote in front of a blackboard. Last year it reached 22,000 students, most of them in Uganda, and hopes eventually to cover one million across Africa.
Robotics is a key component of the program. Benge recalls one child in northern Uganda who built a sensor-driven robot and was asked what he might do with it. He said: “I think I can now create something that lets the goats out of the pen in the morning so that I don’t have to wake up early.”
Benge tells the How to save humanity in 17 goals podcast series: “It was hilarious for us, but a very real testament of once you empower children and make learning meaningful, then they actually begin looking at the practical applications of that learning.”
The educator and entrepreneur describes how Fundi Bots addresses SDG 4 and its aim to deliver quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030.
Each episode in the series features researchers whose work addresses one or more the targets. The first six episodes are produced in partnership with Nature Food, and introduced by Juliana Gil, its chief editor.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Decent work for all: why multinationals need a helping hand
How artificial intelligence is helping Ghana plan for a renewable energy future
How a young physicist’s job move helped Argentina join the ATLAS collaboration
How to plug the female mentoring gap in Latin American science
‘Maybe I was never meant to be in science’: how imposter syndrome seizes scientist mothers
‘Hopeless, burnt out, sad’: how political change is impacting female researchers in Latin America
How we connect girls in Brazil to inspiring female scientists
‘There is no cookie cutter female scientist’
How Tiger Worm toilets could help to deliver clean water and sanitation for all
How we boosted female faculty numbers in male-dominated departments
‘It reflects the society we live in where a young person does not feel that life is worth living’
‘Blue foods’ to tackle hidden hunger and improve nutrition
People need more than cash to rise out of poverty
Chandrayaan and what it means for India's brain drain
Why we need an academic career path that combines science and art
How to create compelling scientific data visualisations
How ChatGPT and sounds from space brought a “luminous jelly” to life
Scientific illustration: striking the balance between creativity and accuracy
The unexpected outcomes of artist-scientist collaborations
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Reaching your Goals
Insights@work
Fifth Dimensional Leadership
Redefiners
The Ken Coleman Show