Physics in Action

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”     Nelson Mandela

At BCI Academy we invest everything we have to make sure our students get the best education possible because we believe in giving them a bright future. However, a proper education goes beyond attending classes and learning theories. Subjects like physics, chemistry and biology require more hands-on practice than others. To fully understand these subjects, students need to see what they have learned in theory implemented into action.

Our laboratory at BCI Academy is not yet fully developed to serve this purpose. In order to enhance their physics lessons, the students were taken on a trip to the Foka Science and Engineering Center. This facility is one of the top science and engineering centers in Ethiopia. Our goal was to give our students the best experience possible, and what better way than to visit the best facility!

The Foka Science and Engineering Center is the first large-scale project implemented by the Gelfand Family Charitable Trust (GFCT) in Ethiopia. Foka Primary School, located on the southern edge of Debre Zeyit, was constructed over 50 years ago. The GFCT toured the school in 2009. Initially planning to simply fix a dangerous playground, the opportunity arose to replace all the dilapidated structures on the campus with eleven new school buildings. Through the course of the project, a visit with the dean of the nearby Defense and Engineering College led to the creation of a new STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) center at the school. This center would serve to provide hands-on educational enrichment to students. The Foka STEM Center has since led to the growth of Ethiopian science education.

During their visit to the Foka Center, BCI students participated in a series of science demonstrations that gave meaning to the theories they were learning in the classroom. Our eighth grade students learned about electricity, magnetism, series and parallel circuit, and color coding. The seventh grade students learned about temperature, gravity and pulley systems. The students agreed that this was the best educational experience they could have received!

We are the most thankful to our sponsors for making this experience possible. You are helping us create the path to the future success of our students at BCI Academy.