The Partnerships for Science Education Programme (PAFSE), led by the NOVA National School of Public Health (NOVA NSPH), has made it possible to increase the knowledge and training in science and public health education of more than 100,000 students from various European countries. These results were presented on 12 July at the project’s final conference, which took place at the Rectory of NOVA.
PAFSE is a European science education project centred on strengthening health literacy, demystifying myths and stereotypes associated with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and preparing students to follow curricula and professions linked to this area, with particular emphasis on the health sciences.
Led by NOVA NSPH, PAFSE’s mission is to develop students’ skills, curiosity and interest in these areas, preparing them to be ambassadors for public health in their living environments and increasing the likelihood that they will consider pursuing professions in the areas covered by the project. Throughout its various activities, the project has involved more than 800 schools and 3,800 teachers in Portugal alone, 372 and 1,440 of them trained by NOVA NSPH, respectively. At European level, PAFSE has reached 114,278 students.
“In each school, public health challenges were explored in a multidisciplinary way, by setting up teams with teachers from different subjects – science, maths, IT, physics, chemistry, geography, English, citizenship. Various challenges were tackled – from zoonotic diseases, to preparing for future pandemics, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, antibiotic resistance, artificial intelligence systems in public health, sustainable development goals. At the end of the teaching-learning process, the students, under the mentorship of their teachers, organised public events to present their learning, and particularly the evidence generated by their research projects, bringing proposals and recommendations that benefit the health and well-being of the community”, explains Carolina Santos, principal investigator of the project and coordinator of the consortium.
“Through this science education project, we have been able to take public health challenges further and ensure that new generations are better able to respond to these challenges. As part of its global activity, NOVA NSPH has sought to open up to society and work in partnership with institutions and organisations from all areas of activity and all sectors, public, private and social. We want to be an agent of change and inspire the reforms and measures that society needs to respond to the challenges we face”, emphasises NOVA NSPH ‘s director, Sónia Dias.
The consortium of nine entities that make up PAFSE has built science education clusters with an epicentre in secondary schools, which have translated into partnerships with universities, research centres, companies, foundations, associations and civil society organisations. The partners challenged schools to open up to the community with the aim of enriching STEM education activities and connecting the science curriculum with real challenges facing society and organisations. Students had the opportunity to interact with researchers, entrepreneurs, health professionals, managers, data scientists, science communicators, health economists, engineers, among other relevant professions in the STEM field, learning more about their academic background and work in the organisations that employ them.
The consortium also prepared teachers to explore a wide range of public health challenges in the classroom and developed teaching resources, promoting the implementation of science-based projects and formal and informal learning activities with the cluster partners, using digital tools and dynamic teaching-learning environments to promote the development of 21st century skills.
The programme began in September 2021 and ends in August this year, having been funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme – the European Commission’s programme to support innovation and research, with a funding amount of 1.46 million euros.