In pursuance of the government’s vision of establishing a knowledge-based economy, the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has recently launched the ‘Launching of STEM in Pakistan Phase-I.’
It is an umbrella project which shall be simultaneously executed throughout the country with the support of federal and provincial stakeholders/education departments.
One of the targets of the project is to give impetus to Pakistan’s preparation for developing a workforce for the fifth industrial revolution.
In this regard, a cheque distribution ceremony was held under the chair of Agha Hassan Baloch, Federal Minister for Science and Technology in the committee room of MoST.
At the occasion, Secretary MoST, Ghulam Muhammad Memon, Chairman PSF, Prof. Dr. Shahid Mahmood Baig, and other top officials of MoST and PSF were present. Agha Hassan Baloch distributed cheques worth Rs. 1 million to establish STEM Labs in the first phase of the project.
Under the STEM project, 50 STEM Labs will be established in higher secondary schools/cadet colleges and 8 labs in different universities/institutions with a total cost of Rs. 993.784 million.
High-tech equipment, including 3D printers, vinyl cutters, design computers, STEM kits, etc. will be installed in these labs upon which the students will learn new techniques, which are compulsory for the fifth industrial revolution.
It is worth mentioning here that the project approved by PSDP is focused to enhance the educational skills of teachers as well as students throughout Pakistan.
At the occasion, Agha Hassan Baloch emphasized hands-on activities and the development of entrepreneurship skills in students. Furthermore, he said that STEM education is a paradigm shift from traditional education to hands-on learning of core scientific concepts.
STEM encourages youth to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from their own experiences rather than relying on what the textbook says. It has basic areas of critical thinking, logical analysis, inquiry, and project-based learning which boost the curiosity among students as it motivates and inspires students to excel in applied STEM fields.
He further emphasized that this program will reinforce Pakistan’s preparation for availing the forthcoming global opportunities in terms of the creation of new jobs and prospects of entrepreneurship in the emerging technologies and scientific frontiers.
The Federal Minister directed to complete the project in time and initiate the process of training teachers on STEM as soon as possible.
Source: Pro Pakistan