Promoting STEM education and literacy in Jamaica

Many arguments have been made over the past several years emphasising the importance of science-technology-engineering-mathematics (STEM) research and STEM education in Jamaica’s social and economic progress.

There are several definitions of STEM education, one of them being,“STEM education is a teaching and learning process that integrates key concepts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as a universal basis for developing skills of critical thinking, analysis, and application in real-world contexts.”

Steps toward a comprehensive STEM education agenda

In Jamaican schools, the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) is implemented in grades 1-9. As the Ministry of Education’s website describes, “emphasis will be placed on project-based and problem-­solving learning, with science, technology, engineering and mathematics/science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEM/STEAM) integrated at all levels”. If carefully and properly implemented, the NSC represents a key step towards increasing the level of national STEM literacy.

To develop a cohesive national STEM education policy, genuine collaboration between Jamaica’s Scientific Research Council and higher-education institutions in Jamaica actively engaged in STEM research and associated STEM education initiatives will be critical.

Jamaica’s teachers’ colleges (which produce most of the ­country’s primary-and-secondary level science and mathematics teachers) must play a key role. Any viable STEM education policy must integrate seamlessly with technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and, therefore, close involvement of the HEART Trust/National Training Agency is essential.

Development of a national STEM education policy must not become merely an academic exercise resulting in yet another weighty document destined to languish in a dusty university or government archive. Such a ­policy must be relevant to immediate and long-term national concerns, including workforce needs, ­entrepreneurial opportunities, and sustainable development of the country’s social and physical infrastructure.

A carefully crafted national STEM education policy has the potential to improve the quality of life for all Jamaican citizens and residents. STEM education – and the development of a national STEM education policy – is more than just anticipating future workforce needs and boosting the economy. The development of those “habits of mind” that derive from a STEM based education is well-suited for developing the skills needed to effectively address a variety of social and economic challenges in Jamaica and across the Caribbean more widely.

STEM teacher education

Most of the higher-education institutions in Jamaica offer undergraduate and ­postgraduate degree programmes in science education, mathematics ­education, technical and vocational ­education and training, etc. These programmes focus primarily on preparing teachers and ­researchers for employment in Jamaica’s primary- and ­secondary-level ­education system and those across the English-speaking Caribbean.

Graduates of these programmes generally receive a sound education in the teaching and learning of their respective subject areas. However, an area of concern is that very little or no content addressing “21st-century STEM issues, topics, and concepts” currently is reflected in the current school curriculum. The same is true in degree programmes responsible for the professional preparation of persons who will teach in STEM and STEM-related areas.

What do I mean by “21st century STEM issues, topics, and concepts”? These are prominent examples of “STEM research applications” that include various biotechnologies used in genetic engineering; the ongoing ­development of nanomedicine; the increasing use of nano­technologies and nanomaterials in a wide variety of industries; ­artificial intelligence (AI) research and the progressively ­sophisticated development of “social robots”; and the rapid growth of the “Internet of Things”, leading to the emergence of “smart cities”.

Such examples should be appropriately incorporated into the professional preparation of our teachers in STEM and STEM-related areas. In so doing, students currently in primary and secondary school will begin to become aware of the extent to which such STEM issues, topics, and concepts continue to shape their world and further develop the STEM literacy that they will need in order to fully engage with these issues.

STEM Education Centre at UWI, Mona

The idea of developing a centre at the UWI, Mona campus that focuses on teaching and learning in the science- and ­mathematics-based disciplines has existed for many years. With the growing global importance of “STEM”, a determined effort now is under way to establish a STEM education centre that will help to address the needs of the country and of the region.

A fundamental role of the centre would be to support primary and secondary-level STEM ­education in a manner that ­complements the goals of the NSC in Jamaica. Additionally, the centre would serve as a repository of STEM teaching and learning resources for schools, teachers, and students across Jamaica and the region.

As we continue to develop the infrastructure of the STEM education centre, we would like to invite input from multiple stakeholders.

Around the world, Jamaica is known for its pioneering spirit. If we are serious about positioning Jamaica as a regional leader in STEM education, then we must assert the will to achieve this in a methodical and timely manner. We must develop a clear, focused, well-articulated, and sustainable STEM education agenda for Jamaica.

We must proceed thoughtfully and systematically – yet with a sense of urgency – to improve STEM literacy across Jamaica and across the Caribbean.

The time is right, and the time is now. Let us get to work.

Dr Aldrin E. Sweeney is a senior lecturer in the School of Education, The Faculty of Humanities and Education, UWI, Mona. He serves as a member of the Board of Governors at Montserrat Community College. This article is one in a series that seeks to promote and highlight the impact of the arts and humanities on the individual’s personal development and career path. Please send feedback to fhe@uwimona.edu.jm.