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Mobile labs to make science fun in Jakarta
On the go: Students take part in a lesson inside a mobile health education lab in North Jakarta on Tuesday
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On the go: Students take part in a lesson inside a mobile health education lab in North Jakarta on Tuesday. Launched by North Jakarta Mayor Bambang Sugiono, the three mobile labs are aimed at helping out schools that do not have health education facilities. JP/WENDRA AJISTYATAMA
Students in Greater Jakarta will get their first chance at learning and practicing science and computers, after the North Jakarta administration launched mobile laboratories Tuesday.
The students can also get medical checkups at a mobile clinic, which is scheduled to visit schools around Greater Jakarta over the next year, along with two other vans outfitted as a science lab and computer lab.
The three mobile labs will serve elementary, middle and high schools in Greater Jakarta that have limited lab facilities or none at all.
North Jakarta Deputy Mayor Atma Senjaya said during the launch that in the initial phase of the program, the mobile labs would reach several schools in the municipality that had limited facilities.
Ester Yunita, one of the program coordinators, said the program would visit one school each week.
“The computer and science mobile labs will stay at each school from Monday to Thursday to teach the students basic computer skills and assist them in natural science practicals,” she said.
“We will also provide dental and physical checkups, as we have a general practitioner and dentist volunteering in the mobile health clinic.”
While the science and computer labs will stay at each school for four days, the mobile clinic will drive around the school’s neighborhood to provide free health services for low-income residents, Ester added.
She said the program involved two computer teachers subjects, three science teachers, one general practitioner, one dentist and one pharmacist.
After going around North Jakarta, the mobile labs will visit schools in Central Jakarta, East Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.
They will also reach schools outside Greater Jakarta, under the program managed by Obor Indonesia Foundation, Mitra Mandiri Foundation and PT BMW Indonesia.
In the mobile computer lab, students are taught basic computing skills on 10 laptops. This lab is also equipped with an Internet connection and 32-inch flat-screen TV to aid the learning process.
The science lab provides standard facilities for biology, physics and chemistry practicals, including microscopes and test tubes, where students can learn basic practices such as observing objects with microscopes and measuring volumes.
The program is expected to boost interest and understanding in learning science through practical in the mobile lab, as most students consider it a difficult and boring subject.
