Conference to strengthen, propagate STEM programme
View(s):The first conference on strengthening and propagating the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) Education was held with the participation of the Minister of Science, Technology & Research, Susil Premajayantha at the Global Tower Hotel, Colombo.
The main intention of the STEM education programme is to direct a lager proportion of students to follow those subjects closely related to the Science and Technology fields. Although Science and Maths are compulsory for GCE Ordinary Level, only a low percentage is currently selecting Biology and Maths stream for the Advanced Level, while most chose Commerce and Arts subjects.
A press release issued by the Ministry of Science, Technology & Research states that, when compared with developed countries, Sri Lanka is about 15 years behind, when considering the Technological development, as they had focused on STEM education a long time ago.
Under this programme, Senior Provincial officials in the Science sector and Science inspectors will be educated by local and foreign scientists on Nano Technology, Bio Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Space Technology, Information & Communication Technology etc., while field visits will also be arranged to give practical experience on new technologies, at the Arthur C. Clarke Institute, Industrial Technology Institute and the Institute of Nano Technology.