Should STEM be More Mainstream?

In an article from HK01, former financial secretary John Tsang was interviewed regarding his views on Hong Kong’s STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and math) education. He was quoted saying “19^th century classroom, 20^th century teachers, and 21^st century students” regarding STEM education in Hong Kong.

Funding for schools to establish STEM programmes have increased in recent years as the government has placed growing emphasis on STEM education. Tsang believes that STEM is an essential skill for the 21^st century, and programming languages can be seen as a “universal language” of today. However, STEM education is being treated as an extra-curricular activity in many local schools. Tsang thinks that STEM education should be taught like “main” subjects, such as English and Chinese.

As Tsang’s first steps towards changing the mindset on education, his nonprofit organisation (NPO), Esperanza, will be launching “Blended Learning Programme” with International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and “CoderZ League” this summer to provide teachers with training opportunities on mixed and face-to-face classrooms and e-learning, as well as provide students with the opportunity to learn programming and participate in international competition to broaden the horizons for both teachers and students when it comes to STEM education.

Here at STEMex, we also offer CoderZ courses as an interactive and fun way for kids to learn programming virtually. With different levels available, kids can learn from very basic programming all the way up to Python coding, so why not come and join us!