MoS&IT, Education deptt to start STEM education in KP Schools

PESHAWAR: The Federal Department of Science and Information Technology (S&IT) and Department of Science and Information Technology Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have decided to start Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa schools.

A decision to this effect was taken in a high-level online meeting chaired by Federal Minister for S&IT Fawad Chaudhry and provincial advisor on S&IT Ziaullah Bangash. KP Minister for Education Shahram Khan, Federal Secretary Education, Director S&IT Khalid Khan, Director KP S&IT Board Asim Jamshed and other officials attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed Science, measures to start STEM at KP Schools, setting up of Fabrics Labs, Science Club and other science and technology projects.

The meeting decided to immediately start STEM education initially in 10 schools of the province. It was also decided to give a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 to the students who topped in Matric in Science and Rs 12,000 to the students who topped in FSc. The 50 percent of the stipend would be paid by the Provincial Department S&IT and remaining by the Federal Department of S&IT.

Under the program, which would later be extended to 450 schools, 10 science toppers from each Tehsil would be selected for scholarships.

Speaking on the occasion Ziaullah Bangash said that earlier the Department of S&IT had set up 156 science labs in the province and more would be built.

Education Minister Shahram Khan Tarkai said that this would be a revolutionary program that would provide opportunities for high level education to the talented students of Science, Engineering and Mathematics, adding it would also encourage talented students at the Tehsil level to come forward.

He said the KP government was already providing scholarships to top 20 position holder students of each examination board of Matric and FSc programmes.