STEM CARAVAN FROM THE INNER CITY TO THE POLICY – FELIX KWABENA DONKOR, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

Accelerated sustainable development has gained currency in several policy documents for Africa. However, Africa’s long-term economic prospects are being constrained by severe skills shortages in many vital sectors. One of the areas that requires immediate attention is STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). If Africa does not start building capacity in these subjects, its progress towards achieving sustainable and comprehensive growth will be severely challenged. Exposing children to the marvel of STEM in the early grades is crucial to inspiring their interest and their embracing STEM subjects in the future. Furthermore, this helps to develop Africans to be producers of knowledge rather than consumers by embracing the advancement in technology and equipping the youth with relevant knowledge and skills the 21st century demands. Many rural and inner city locales, face significant challenges in educating their youth at all, due to lack of equipment and access to basic amenities like electricity, as well as non-attendance in school. This project will visit a number of inner city schools to sensitize on STEM between 8-10 January 2019. Furthermore, there will be an interactive session with policy makers at the 2019 Green Economy Coalition (GEC) meeting also in Cape Town.

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