The Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), contributed to a Workshop on Strengthening the Competence of High School/Madrasah Aliyah Chemistry Teachers in Learning, Problem Solving, and Chemistry Assessment, held on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The workshop was attended by teachers who are members of the Chemistry Subject Teachers’ Association (MGMP) of MAN Kota Malang and MAN Kabupaten Malang.

The workshop was one of Chemistry UNAIR’s contributions to strengthening teachers’ competencies, particularly in responding to developments in chemistry learning and assessment at the high school/madrasah aliyah level. Through this activity, participants received training covering learning strategies, problem-solving approaches, and in-depth chemistry concepts. Several Chemistry UNAIR lecturers also participated as speakers, presenting topics relevant to the needs of chemistry education.

Dr. rer. nat. Ganden Supriyanto, M.Sc. opened the workshop by discussing strategies for chemistry assessment and learning at the high school level in the TKA and Science Olympiad era.

The session continued with Prof. Dr. Muji Harsini, M.Si., who presented strategies for solving chemistry problems, including calculations and qualitative analysis of cations and anions. Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Hartati, M.Si., discussed structure and reactivity, covering the concepts of inorganic chemistry, coordination chemistry, and the nomenclature of inorganic compounds.

In the following session, participants deepened their understanding of organic chemistry through a presentation entitled “Reasoning through the Reactivity of Organic Compounds: From Molecular Structure to Reaction Product Prediction,” delivered by Prof. Dr. Mulyadi Tanjung, M.S. The discussion was then continued by Prof. Dr. Pratiwi Pudjiastuti, M.Si., who explored strategies for predicting various chemical reactions, including substitution, elimination, carbonyl, and nitrogen-containing compound reactions.

The series of sessions concluded with a discussion of chemistry in life, focusing on the integration of organic macromolecule and biochemistry concepts in the context of everyday phenomena, presented by Prof. Dr. Sri Sumarsih, M.Si. The session encouraged participants to recognize the connections between chemical concepts and various phenomena encountered in daily life.

In addition to the presentations, the workshop featured discussion and question-and-answer sessions, providing teachers with opportunities to exchange experiences and discuss various challenges encountered in chemistry education at madrasahs.

The involvement of Chemistry UNAIR lecturers in this workshop was part of an effort to strengthen synergy between higher education institutions and schools. Through such collaboration, efforts to enhance teacher competence can be sustained while creating opportunities for knowledge exchange between academics and educators at the high school/madrasah aliyah level.

The workshop continued into the afternoon and concluded with a discussion and closing session. Chemistry UNAIR continues to encourage academic collaboration and contribution in support of improving the quality of chemistry education at the secondary education level.