Education: When sports and science go hand in hand

This year’s Science Festival has the theme “Sports and Science” in reference to the 2024 Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris next year. For about 10 years, Congo College has been actively participating in this event by involving its students and faculty as well. “This year the college was chosen as a pilot institution,” says Khadija Mbaye, Deputy Director of the Department of Research Mobility in Innovation at the Mayotte Department. A scientific village was established within the college to provide many workshops for students. On this occasion, a day was allocated for all sixth grade students^H You can participate in it.

About forty workshops on topics around science and sports

The college and the university administration saw the big picture of this 32^H A copy of the Science Festival. Indeed, who better to sponsor this edition in Mayotte than athlete Kamel Zuber, former college student, silver medalist in the 4 x 100 meters at the Island Games a few weeks ago in Madagascar, and more recently French champion in Blois, is still in the distance. 4 x 100 m. To celebrate the occasion, there was a TV/radio program hosted by middle school students who were able to interview the athlete who participated in the question and answer game. “It is nice to come back to this institution and see that there have been many changes. It has been almost 10 years, at the end of 3 years^HI didn’t go back there. It is nice to see many activities around sports and science for these young people.

So science and sports were in the spotlight but there were also other disciplines such as modern languages, literature and theatre. There were workshops dedicated to programming, drone piloting, chess, nutrition, as well as a robotics club, an escape game, dancing, but also the presence of a beekeeper who came with a small hive and a lot of other activities…

Organized on a 45-minute rotation, the aim was for students to benefit from all the workshops. “There are 19 categories of 6^H And 6 CM2 classes, or about 600 students divided into 40 groups, are participating today in this event within the college, notes Director Gerard Chanet. Physical education teachers participated in this event by holding sports workshops, but with a scientific approach. Middle school students prepared these activities in cooperation with their teachers. Students 4^H And 3^H From the college they are specially trained to support and supervise students from 6^H and CM2. “Every year we try to make sure that as many of them as possible can benefit from it,” he adds.

“The Science Festival is a tradition at this institution,” says Swan Ibrahima, mathematics teacher at the college and coordinator of this project. Every year we cancel classes for one day for five^H,4^H,3^Hin order to allow 6 students^H As well as primary school students (CM2) to be able to participate in this event. The teacher says: “In France, it is the laboratories that open their doors to the students… but here in Mayotte, the opposite is true. We want the students to join this project by playing the role of researchers and inventing their own workshops.”

The Science Festival will continue until the end of the month, and other activities will be organized in all schools. In addition, on November 15, CROSS UNSS/FDS will be held in Chikone at the site of Mr. Bahija, and on November 17 students and researchers at CUFR in Dembeni will also participate in this event.

BJ