For many years, since Primary Four, Damba Wilberforce, a 13-year-old pupil in Primary Seven at Kibirige Memorial Primary School in Kitenda village, Ndolwa parish, Ngogwe sub-county, Buikwe District, found Science extremely difficult to understand.
Science lessons were mostly theoretical, with his science teacher relying on chalkboard explanations, wall charts, and textbooks. Without practical demonstrations or experiments to prove scientific facts and make learning meaningful, Damba struggled to visualize how these ideas worked in real life.
The lack of hands-on materials left him cramming complex scientific terms that he could hardly understand.
“Absence of teaching aids that you can see, touch, and use, Science becomes extremely hard to pass and understand,” Wilberforce explains. “Before our school got into partnership with River Flow International, my friends and I studied topics like the heart and the kidney using only textbooks and charts. Learning was all about cramming whatever was taught.”
Wilberforce recalls one topic that truly frustrated him, Light Energy. “Our teacher talked about lenses, but we never knew what a lens really was. We just heard the word,” he says with a shy laugh.
However, everything began to change in 2023 when River Flow International introduced Primary Science Kit (mini-laboratory) to the school. The teaching aids in the science kit turned abstract science lessons into real experiences allowing Damba to observe, touch, experiment, and discover scientific concepts by himself with real objects.
What once felt confusing now became clear, understandable, engaging, fun, and enjoyable. Through hands-on learning, Science stopped being just a subject in a book and became an adventure of discovery.
“As I speak now, I can confidently differentiate between convex and concave lenses,” Wilberforce says proudly. “Before, when the teacher explained topics like the digestive system, we would get confused about what the rectum or appendix was.
“Even Science teachers sometimes made mistakes while drawing diagrams on the chalkboard but now, we can confirm everything using the models in the Science Kit. The models don’t change; they show you exactly what is what,” Damba adds with a smile.
Wilberforce’s story mirrors a wider transformation taking place at Kibirige Memorial Primary School.
“Prior to this intervention, my colleagues and I depended almost entirely on the ‘talk and chalk’ method of teaching Science. Pupils like Wilberforce struggled to grasp scientific concepts because teaching aids were either difficult to improvise or completely unavailable. Lessons were abstract and uninspiring, leaving many learners disengaged,” explains teacher Odongo Wilfred Joshua.
He continues: “But today, everything has changed. Since the introduction of the Primary Science Kit (Mini Laboratory) by River Flow International, classrooms have come alive with hands-on experiments, demonstrations, and real scientific exploration.
“Learners now interact directly with science materials, observe real models, and experiment with concepts that once existed only in textbooks. The result has been a complete shift in mindset from memorizing facts to discovering how Science truly works.”
According to teacher Odongo, the impact has been prodigious. “The difference is clear,” he says. “Learners are now more curious, confident, and eager to participate in class. They no longer fear Science, they enjoy it. When I look at the percentage of learners who passed Science in 2022, it was between 40-45%.
“That was before we had the Science Kit. Now, the pass rate has risen to around 85%, and we expect it to reach 90-100% in the next Primary Leaving Examination.”
Motivated by his new understanding, Wilberforce is now aiming for Division One in the upcoming PLE. He has also become an advocate for using the Science Kits effectively.
“My teachers should use the models in the Science Kit well,” he emphasizes. “Before giving a child the wrong content, they should follow the kit because it shows everything clearly.”
The Science Kits provided by River Flow International have not only boosted performance but also restored learners’ confidence, curiosity, and enthusiasm for science at the primary level.
What was once a subject of fear and boredom has become one of discovery, inspiration, and a living proof that practical education truly transforms lives.
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