Students urged to embrace STEM education
Published:Saturday | March 30, 2024 | 12:05 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
DR MICHELE Walden-Pinnock, director of region four in the Ministry of Education and Youth, says STEM education provides the hope needed to transform the country’s agriculture and healthcare sectors for growth and survival.
“The STEM approach integrates all disciplines. It offers us not just a glimpse but our roadmap towards a world where humanity thrives in harmony with nature, from renewable energy technologies to sustainable agricultural practices, from innovative waste management systems, and to advance health solutions,” Walden-Pinnock said.
She made that observation during the inaugural staging of The Manning School’s STEM Day activities held against the theme, ‘STEM Solutions for a Sustainable Future’, on Tuesday at the Savanna-la-Mar-based institution.
Walden-Pinnock noted that while our planet faces numerous challenges from climate change and environmental degradation, to resource depletion and social equality, there is a beacon of hope to use STEM as the solution to these issues in paving the way for a sustainable future.
She encouraged students from the region, including Nain High School, Rusea’s High School, Green Island High School, Sir Clifford Primary School, Savanna-la-Mar Primary, and host Manning’s, to embrace STEM as a way of life.
“So, for the students present here today, I urge you to embrace the spirit of curiosity and exploration. Let your passion for discovery be the driving force behind your journey into the world of STEM,” Walden-Pinnock implored.
Further, she encouraged the students to explore STEM, whether or not their aspirations are to become scientists, engineers, mathematicians or technologists ... and that they should also remember that their contribution has the power to shape the world for better.
“We do understand that, through STEM, we are going to work on renewable energy ... we are going to be able to work on some agricultural practices, on waste management, and find solutions for healthcare,” she said.
Dane Campbell, head of the The Manning’s School science department and coordinator for the school’s STEM programme, says the objective of STEM Day activities was designed to raise awareness on career opportunities in the field and to inspire students to pursue further education in the various fields.
He also noted that key among the day’s activities were efforts to empower students to address climate change challenges and finding solutions to these challenges.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if we do not develop STEM solutions, I guarantee we will not have a sustainable future,” Campbell noted while citing Jamaica’s vulnerability to climate change.