STEAM Education to be launched on Friday: Minister

28 March 2023 05:06 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 5 Bookmark

CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA Follow

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The initial program to launch STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education for the local education sector will be introduced, and the official program will be launched on Friday (March 31), in the Western Province at the Town Hall, Colombo, the Education Ministry said.

Addressing the media yesterday, Minister Susil Premajayantha said the program will commence at 8.30 am and continue until 12.30 pm.

In line with the main event, the program will be held at eight centers in the remaining provinces at the same time using the zoom technology.

The current education system, both secondary and tertiary is not based on science or technology, the minister said.

"The country’s education system failed to change after the second industrial revolution and the third industrial revolution in information technology. We need to be prepared for the fourth digital revolution. We have had many syllabi changes, but governments could not bring reforms to the education system," Minister Premjayantha said.

A program for international student assessment (PISA) is the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s program.

PISA measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics, and science. STEM education was introduced two decades ago, with more than 90 countries following and witnessing success, such as Singapore, Finland, and Vietnam. Unfortunately, we do not have it. In the near future, the country’s education system will see changes in this area," he said. "Our present education system has no space for innovation. Innovation cannot be just a subject for a student who has performed poorly at the ordinary-level examination or as an advanced-level subject," he added.

While adding arts and social studies to the education system, the ministry decided to add the arts subjects to STEAM education, the minister added. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)

Pix by Nisal Baduge

Comments - 5

Plan is like inventing the wheel again Tuesday, 28 March 2023 07:19 PM

All the 90 countries are having STEM. Here even without having STEM, mad minister wants to have STEAM. Arts should only be added after other subject all happening well in English. Now again trying to do too much, and all if will fail, Sri Lanka style.

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Sunil nagadeepa Tuesday, 28 March 2023 07:20 PM

Good idea and long overdue. But ensure that science, math and other technical subjects are taught in English. This will help our youth gain meaningful employment globally. Local languages are ok at home but a hindrance for global communication and employment. As we have seen over the lar 75 years.

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Zaza Tuesday, 28 March 2023 11:01 PM

If we are serious about education, let us have a well thought out, academia tested, National Educational Policy. This will prevent political tinkering in the future. Appoint a committee of experts in the field of Education and others interested to formulate a Educational Policy within 2 months, present it to the parliament within a month for approval of all political parties. If you are sincere, please attend to all basic requirements of all schools. We cannot have AI from Tree tops and tops of Water Tanks.

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Low employment chance Arts being put in, without even having STEM yet Tuesday, 28 March 2023 11:21 PM

Grand idea which will fail like all others. If government had gone with STEM alone, could have used English materials available elsewhere to build curriculum. Plenty of English speaking developed countries would have come to our aid. Now trying a Lanka only recipe of STEAM, is like the proverbial re-inventing the wheel. Bound to result to failure because know too much Minister and his staff are complicating the STEM with Arts. Arts graduates have least pay in this country, so why get more of the same foolishness in?"

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Only arts study that is good is that which improves students' political literacy Wednesday, 29 March 2023 09:33 AM

Arts is can be excellent when it comes to study of contemporary social and political studies, about our nation, South Asian region, and broader Asia, and international. Arts study that our university students do that lead them nowhere but being jobless is worthless. Benefit of arts comes in the example of newly minted First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf who credits his lessons in 'Modern Studies' to his interest in politics. Quote from wikipedia about Scotland's Modern studies "It concerns contemporary social and political issues, and political processes, in Scottish, UK and international contexts." We needs same but in Sri Lankan, South Asian and international contexts.

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