Strengthening STEM Curricula for Girls in Africa, Asia and the Pacific
Encouraging female participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Challenges
Across the world, women are undeniably more likely than men to be uneducated or undereducated, and statistics show particularly low levels of participation for girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) throughout all levels of schooling. Despite decades of development interventions that focus on science and technology, the gender gap continues to widen in STEM fields. Country interventions focusing on curricular reforms that emphasize the practical, social, environmental and global objectives of STEM, in addition to the technical aspects, have demonstrated positive effects on female participation. These approaches alter pedagogy to allow for hands-on engagement, self-learning and collaboration and offer varied examples across gender, race, culture and class lines.
Acquiring knowledge about STEM is not only a basic human right; it is also a critical condition for sustainable development, participatory citizenship and providing skills for the future of work. Women’s engagement in science and technology stimulates innovation and benefits their domestic and community work in agriculture, cooking, clean water, sanitation and healthcare. Nevertheless, statistics show relatively low levels of female participation in STEM in schooling and employment across the world. Women make up 33 percent of researchers in Africa and 18 percent in Asia and the Pacific. Given these statistics, the success of Malaysia is salient. Women constitute over half of the student population studying technology in higher education and a greater percentage in the professional information and communications technology (ICT) sector.
Towards a Solution
The project entitled ‘Strengthening STEM Curricula for Girls in Africa, Asia and Pacific’ aimed to increase female knowledge and engagement in STEM education by strengthening its gender responsiveness. The project united four participating countries from Africa (Kenya and Nigeria) and Asia and the Pacific (Cambodia and Viet Nam). Malaysian expertise and experience were essential to developing and strengthening existing STEM policies, curricula and pedagogy within these countries. The project intended to foster and build the institutional capacities of various ministers, decision makers, curriculum developers, planners and educators, with a view to designing and implementing gender-responsive, quality STEM curricula across the education system within a holistic vision.
Within this project, 11 activities were organized in collaboration with a number of local and international partners. Key components included a needs assessment workshop, in-country activities (policy dialogue, capacity-building trainings, working sessions, consultation meetings), a capacity development workshop and the development of training tools.
This initiative made crucial contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Education 2030 Agenda in ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning for all.
The implementation of the first phase was planned in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE) of Malaysia; the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics, under the Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics (SEAMEO-RECSAM); and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) offices in Bangkok, Nairobi, Ha Noi and Phnom Penh. This collaboration was indispensable in connecting various experts to ensure the project’s impact and sustainability. Two activities were held for the entire group: a needs assessment workshop and a capacity development workshop. Drawing from Malaysian expertise and experience, country teams could contextualize their situation and suggest practical training tools to promote gender-responsive STEM education in their country.
As a result of these two activities, the International Bureau of Education (IBE) delivered two knowledge products: Sharing Malaysian experience in participation of girls in STEM education and Training Tools for Curriculum Development: A Resource Pack for Gender-Responsive STEM Education. These two documents were later used as key training tools for the capacity development workshop and in engaging with other countries’ activities. By uniting their strengths, these countries were able to conduct a more specific analysis to overcome challenges.
Both workshops were organized by MoE Malaysia, SEAMEO-RECSAM and IBE. Workshops involved various experts from the beneficiary countries, as well as Cameroon, Malaysia and UNESCO Bangkok. Experts in international curriculum and gender also attended. With their help, each country team produced a national STEM situational analysis and a road map for in-country interventions.
As a result of these activities, each participating country identified its gaps in mainstream, gender-responsive STEM education. Once needs and priorities were defined, a combination of policy dialogue and capacity development workshops were held. A resource pack for gender-responsive STEM education was also produced to help develop adequate tools to implement modifications. It is structured around six modules: policy, curricula, pedagogy, teachers teaching and learning resources, and community issues. Participating countries made noticeable progress in that regard.
Given the progress made, IBE requested an 8-month, no-cost extension in order to ensure the project’s implementation and expected outcomes, which the donor approved. In addition, Viet Nam replaced Indonesia as a beneficiary country. The partnerships between countries and experts further ensured the project’s impact, sustainability and monitoring.
The degree of commitment that each country made to gender-responsive STEM education depended on its national aspirations and educational plan, as well as its socio-political status. In order to help countries identify the gender gap in STEM fields, they may request and participate in policy and technical dialogues and capacity development trainings to reassess their educational policies, curricula, pedagogy, teacher education and professional development.
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