Learning science with fun: FUSE brings poor students to interactive center

Over 4,000 students from public high schools in depressed communities
in Metro Manila had visited the Philippine Science Centrum (PSC) to
undergo “hands-on minds-on” activities at the facility, the first
interactive science center-museum in the country.

The participants were recipients of the “Science Beyond Classroom”
project of the Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education
(FUSE) and the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology
(PFST), the center’s operator, a joint undertaking that provides
zero-expense to the beneficiaries and their schools for their
educational field to PSC, in Marikina City.

The students were given a guided tour of the interactive exhibits or
galleries, underwent a pre, post-tests for evaluation purposes and
participated in demonstration activities.

The science centrum recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

“Through this project, children from disadvantaged barangay were able
to discover by themselves that learning science could, in fact, be
enjoyable, and it’s a fun-learning experience,” said FUSE president,
Fr. Onofre G. Inocencio, Jr. SDB.

FUSE defrays the transportation costs, admission fees and meals of the students.

Based on PSC’s, developer of nine regional science centrums
nationwide, visitors’ profile, more than 70 percent of public schools
in Metro Manila have not yet visited the center due to students’
inability to pay the cost of transportation and admission fee.

It had accommodated over six million visitors composed mostly of
students and teachers from private schools.

Under the memorandum of agreement between FUSE and PFST, the former
will sponsor the trip of 1,500 students annually to PSC with the
Department of Education providing the list of students selected to
participate in the project, which was launched in 2011.

It was learned that from the post-visit activities that the teachers
implemented, versions of the exhibits were used by classes and
students as props for learning.

For school year 2014, the schools that participated in the project
were Culiat, Sauyo, Krus na Ligas, Ramon Magsaysay, Cubao High
Schools, in Quezon City; Tala High School, Caloocan City; Maysan,
Lawang Bato, Bignay National High Schools, Valenzuela City; Burgos
National High, Rodriguez, Rizal; Col. Ramon Camus Integrated School,
Malabon City; and Tangos National High School, Navotas City.