The world has recognized the importance of nurturing scientific curiosity in children. Developed nations credit their success to a strong foundation in education, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. A skilled workforce equipped with STEM knowledge has greater potential for innovation, job creation, which are crucial to ensure sustainable development.
Understanding the numerous benefits of STEM, Sub-Saharan African countries, Ethiopia in particular, are prioritizing the expansion of STEM education and strengthening the program because the fields of science and technology are cornerstone for national development.
In view of this, The Ethiopian Herald approached Ministry of Education Community Engagement and Indigenous Knowledge Desk Head Selam Alemu to learn the progress made so far in empowering students in STEM education as well as the works ongoing in collaboration to achieve success.
According to her, the Ministry is working with higher education institutions in their respective school catchment areas to offer community services to provide quality STEM education.
As of now, 40 STEM centers with the state of the art laboratory equipment from the catchment areas were selected through set standards. Each center is providing STEM training for free for students from 7-12 graders and eligible into the Ministry’s context.
Ethiopia is working on strengthening the STEM program in all ladders of education level because it lets students get hands-on training making them entrepreneurs and promoting students creativity and building up innovation capacity.
It is clear that the nation has put in place seventy-thirty ration in intake of higher education, seventy for natural science and thirty for social sciences. “These set quotas could not work because we simply wrote or talked about them. We should come up with a practicable working approach that could just support students and empower them to join hard science enthusiastically. As to her, Now STEM is budgeted and has got structure under the community service of universities.
Ethiopia is also striving to empower girls by joining hands with various stakeholders and strengthening STEM education. For instance, universities have special programs such as “Girls can Code” which only female students participate in and a platform that awards only girls who have scored higher marks. What is more, universities have selection criteria that consider girls, Selam added.
STEM Synergy Ethiopia Country Director Asegedech Shawl for her part said that STEM Synergy has been implementing various STEM education programs using different platforms such as by establishing STEM centers in different areas of the country engaging in summer outreach programs, participate in local and national science fairs, as well as holding robotics and coding programs for youths.
These STEM education programs planned to be implemented throughout the country are believed to bring about significant impact towards mainstreaming STEM programs in the education system of Ethiopia. Its versatile positive impact was reflected in the findings of “The Impact Assessment” done in 2021 for five years of the organization’s journey. It is also confirmed by the students’ academic achievement that is the result of grade 12 students who sat for National Secondary School leaving Exam for two consecutive years 2022 and 2023. As to her, almost 100 percent of the students who passed the exam were those who had access to learn in the STEM Centers, she said referring to Bahir Dar University STEM Center, Kotebe University Science Shared Campus/STEM Center, Wolaita Sodo University STEM Center.
On the other hand, widening its strategy, STEM Synergy also engaged in providing STEM-focused short term capacity development training to STEM subject primary and secondary school teachers and Leaders; graduating class university students; different levels of Coding and Robotics training for youth. All these have a significant impact on producing a competent citizen.
She further noted that STEM Synergy is one of the prominent institutions established with the aim of nurturing science in a child with the target to inspire children to the area and develop a qualified human resource to the economy.
As part of this effort, STEM Synergy is working to strengthen and expand STEM education in Ethiopia and till now the organization has established 22 STEM Centers (with 71 laboratories) that has been serving as a platform for executing a number of STEM activities aimed at nurturing STEM Education and building the future scientists, technologists and engineers by inculcating hands-on trainings in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, AI, Robotics and related fields.
Bitaniya Mekuanint, a student from Dalcha Secondary School also shared her experience with the Girls Camp Program, a collaboration program carried out between Debre Tabor University and STEM Synergy.
The program has provided practical learning opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and English.
Bitaniya emphasized the high demand for qualified personnel in STEM fields and the crucial role of the programs in bridging the gap. She acknowledges the program’s transformative effect on her understanding regarding science and her newfound confidence in applying STEM skills to solve problems.
Empowering girls should be strengthened further because there are a number of girls who have the potential; but lost the opportunity in the hinterlands.
Asegedech finally said that it is worth mentioning that cultural transformation which enhances children to explore more on science and technology fields must be appreciated as it supports children to have a good background in these areas. Therefore, strengthening and expanding STEM education in Ethiopia is very important. This invariably follows a cohesive learning paradigm based on the real-world.
BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 10 MARCH 2024
