12 January 2006 -- The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that 40 science teachers from Kenya will participate in a Third-Country Training Course for the Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) from 16 January to 24 February 2006  at the University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (UP-NISMED) in Diliman, Quezon City.

“The Philippines’ hosting of this training program promotes an excellent image of the Philippines in Africa and thus forges closer relations between the two countries,” Charge’ d Affaires a.i. Bernarditas C. Muller said.

The training program is conducted under a Memorandum of Agreement of March 2002 between the UP-NISMED and the Incorporate Division of Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Kenya. The SMASSE in Western, Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (WECSA) is a regional association which aims to strengthen science education at secondary level, through research, exchange of information, seminars, joint workshops and participation in conference on education.

In a Letter of Understanding in 2004, the regional development programme, which is called the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), decided to use SMASSE-WECSA as its flagship project in the development of mathematics and science education in Africa. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) collaborates in and provides funding for the project.

The training program conducted by the UP-NISMED last year was regarded as highly successful and was featured in an article on the good quality of Philippine science education, CDA Muller said. END