Not-for-profit publisher, Pratham Books has launched a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Literacy Programme on its digital platform StoryWeaver on the occasion of World Science Day, 2022.
The programme aims to bridge the STEM skill gap in children with the help of storybooks. According to an official release, the programme is a rich teacher resource centered around over 200 storybooks for grades one to five. The content of the programme is in line with the national curriculum and have structured lesson plans, engaging activities and teacher training resources. In addition to English, the programme will soon be available in Hindi, Marathi, Urdu and Odia, the release said. The programme is freely accessible online on StoryWeaver’s website, it added.
“At Pratham Books StoryWeaver, we believe that story-based learning has immense value that can be added to a classroom. The STEM Literacy Programme uses storybooks as a learning tool to bring alive Science, EVS, and Maths concepts in engaging ways, and planting these concepts in a relatable world that children can understand, imagine, and enjoy. STEM literacy helps cultivate a certain way of thinking, observing, and problem solving, which can help young learners in all areas of life,” Purvi Shah, senior director, StoryWeaver, strategy, Pratham Books, said.
India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasises the importance of STEM skills and capacities, including scientific temper, evidence-based thinking and logical reasoning and the development of the creative potential of each individual. The need to nurture necessary STEM abilities at the primary grades, without expensive infrastructure requirements, is paramount.
This need is felt at a global level too. 2022 is the International Year of ‘Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development’, and this is also the theme for World Science Day, 2022. As part of these observances, UNESCO is highlighting the importance of giving children access to quality science education from an early age, to encourage them to ‘develop curiosity’ and ‘value the quest for truth’ – vital not only from an academic perspective, but for personal growth as well.
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