KRACHI(Education Reporter): Educational experts and key stakeholders in Sindh have demanded dedicated budget allocations and policy interventions to advance STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education, emphasizing that scientific activities must become an integral part of the routine school curriculum rather than remaining restricted to annual science festivals. The demand was raised during a policy dialogue organized by the School Education and Literacy Department Sindh Reform Support Unit in collaboration with the Thar Education Alliance. The conference brought together education officials, teachers, students, subject specialists, and representatives from science organizations, all advocating for practical learning models, enhanced classroom infrastructure, teacher training, and institutional synergies between public and private sectors to cultivate critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills among students.
Addressing the policy dialogue, Secretary School Education Sindh, Zahid Ali Abbasi, highlighted the potential of public-private partnerships to expand educational opportunities and announced that the government is recruiting 8,500 science teachers to be deployed in schools across Sindh. Commending Sindh students for their active participation and achievements at the Islamabad Science Festival, he reaffirmed the department’s commitment to supporting STEAM initiatives. Other notable speakers, including Chief Executive Officer of Thar Education Alliance Partab Shivani, Program Manager Reform Support Unit Jeneid Samoo, UNICEF representative Abeer Maqbool, and Farhad Jarral, underscored the need for institutional collaboration and broader practical learning avenues. During the event, students who represented Sindh at the Islamabad Science Festival showcased their innovative science models, which were highly praised by experts as reflections of creative problem-solving and scientific inquiry.