NARIT News

ITCA Teacher Training Program Lahore, Pakistan

The International Training Centre in Astronomy under the auspices of UNESCO (ITCA), operated by the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) conducted a Teacher Training Program and a Public lecture in the city of Lahore, Pakistan from 3-5 July 2026 to over 100 participating educational personnels and interested Pakistani participants. This international Teacher Training Program is one of many ITCA programs aimed to improve Astronomy education globally and foster future international collaboration.

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The International Training Centre in Astronomy under the auspices of UNESCO (ITCA) is the only UNESCO’s Category 2 Centre with the focus on the topic of Astronomy. Operated by the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) with the goal in fostering astronomy education to global citizens, this particular ITCA’s mission in Pakistan is part of the ITCA Teacher Training Program series that has conducted Teacher Training Program in more than 11 countries: Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Philippines, Nepal, Botswana, with Lahore, Pakistan held between 4-5 July being the 12th destination adding to this global program.

This Teacher Training Program series is an extension of NARIT’s prior success in establishing the nation’s astronomy teacher training workshop with extensive experience spanning over 18 years and more than 10,000 participating teachers under the concept of “Training the trainer” that has proven to be successful domestically in expanding the influence to a wider audience.

This particular Pakistani workshop has received overwhelming feedback from participants, with the public lecture held on the 3rd of July that welcomed over 77 interested youths, university students, and general astronomy enthusiasts and over 37 Pakistani educational personnels attending the ITCA Teacher Training Program. Additionally, a special session was held to introduce the local “Exploration – Cosmos to Classroom” team to the assembly of DIY Planetarium that NARIT has developed and used extensively with Thai schools.

During the workshop, participants were introduced to many activities that are designed to promote students’ lifelong passion and curiosity in astronomy. These activities also offer more engaging activities alternatives to a regular lecture-based classroom, all while maintaining familiarity with local culture, low-cost, and being practical enough to be implemented in a real classroom setting.

Among the activities, the Moon phases activities were rather popular as it connects directly to cultural and religious practice among the muslim communities. Activities such as Planet Walk and Powers of Ten continue to challenge the participants in their perception while revealing the true scale of the Universe in ways which they could understand. Constellation Maker and Lunar Cratering Lab offer a DIY crafts aspect that can engage a wide range of interests. Beyond Visible Light activity aims to demonstrate difficult concepts such as lights beyond those which humans can see into something that is easy to access using everyday materials.

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“Thank you for the informative and hands-on workshop. The activities were practical. and I am looking forward to trying them with my students in the classroom,” left one participant. “This ITCA workshop not only leaves impressions upon 40-or-so Pakistani teachers who are here, but each of us will bring this to more than 100 students, which means the result of this workshop will have a lasting impact upon our children” commented another participant.

“Astronomy is one of the most distant sciences to our lives, but yet it is often those we can find most relatable,” remarks Matipon Tangmatitham, ITCA team leader, and the director of the International Training Centre in Astronomy under the auspices of UNESCO. “On the other hand, this makes Astronomy among the sciences with most prevalent misconceptions. Our experience in dealing with over 10,000 teachers spanning over 18 years provide us insights on the common problems among astronomy teachers, which we can share and assist many teachers in other countries with similar struggles. This is among the most important missions of ITCA.”

ITCA Teacher Training Program is but one of many other important international missions conducted by ITCA. Among its primary goals is to improve Astronomy Education to global citizens, according to the UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). ITCA, hosted by NARIT, also has other programs such as the international youth camp (ASEAN Astronomy Camp - AAC), development of new astronomy media, and many other programs that will help raise science awareness and literacy in citizens, which is an important step towards developing a country. Apart from the direct benefit to participating countries, these initiatives will also play a role in fostering relationships and progress towards future collaborations between countries.

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