Govt weighs STEM, play labs for primary schools

The government is considering introducing play labs and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) labs on a pilot basis in government primary schools to strengthen science and technology education from an early stage, Primary and Mass Education State Minister Bobby Hajjaj said on Monday.

Speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of a programme titled “Maintaining Play, Education and Skills in Humanitarian Situations” organised by BRAC and LEGO Foundation in the capital, he said the initiative could initially be implemented in several hundred schools on a trial basis.

Bobby Hajjaj said there was no alternative to STEM education for building a future-ready Bangladesh and the government was working on the feasibility of setting up play labs and STEM labs in government primary schools.

He said the biggest investment in implementing the Prime Minister’s education vision would be ensuring quality primary education. “Currently, only 20 percent of students at the higher secondary level study science, which is not enough to build a knowledge-based and technology-driven country,” he said, adding that students needed to be encouraged towards science and technology from the primary level.

The state minister said the government was closely monitoring play-based education programmes implemented by BRAC, LEGO Foundation and other development partners.

Based on evaluations of the effectiveness of these initiatives, the government was assessing the possibility of introducing play labs and STEM labs in government primary schools, he said.

As part of the plan, a pilot project covering several hundred schools is being considered, he added.

Bobby Hajjaj said the government was also working to establish a common minimum education standard for all types of educational institutions, including Bangla-medium, English-medium and madrasas.

He said initiatives were underway to create a national benchmark covering teachers, curriculum, infrastructure and overall education quality.

The state minister said students’ learning outcomes in primary-level language, mathematics and English subjects were still below the desired level.

To address the situation, the government was giving priority to education reform, modernised curricula, technology-based learning, play-based education and STEM-focused teaching methods, he said.

Representatives from the Primary and Mass Education Ministry, BRAC, LEGO Foundation and other development partners and non-government organisations attended the event.