European Schoolnet welcomes the publication of the European Commission's STEM Education Strategic Plan: skills for competitiveness and innovation as part of the Union of Skills. European Schoolnet is pleased to share a first reaction to five points suggested, waiting for a more formal consultation with its Ministries of Education members:

The new European STEM Executive Panel

This panel would advise on strategic issues, including curriculum modernisation, and we look forward to the involvement of the Ministries of Education, which is responsible for formal education. In this context, European Schoolnet would be available to share its expertise on behalf of its members, drawing on its expertise from running Scientix®, the community for science education in Europe and the research and insights from various projects. 

Professional development of STEM teachers and trainers

"Professional development of STEM teachers and trainers is pivotal and requires sustained involvement". To ensure that both current and future STEM educators are well-equipped to instruct and motivate the next generation, in-service professional development programmes and Initial Teacher Education (ITE) curricula must also evolve. Both content/subject knowledge and pedagogical skills should be integrated into a comprehensive in-service and ITE curriculum so that teachers are prepared to help students develop their critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

Developing a STEM competence framework

"Developing by 2026 a STEM competence framework for all learners and at all stages of education […]" is going to require the commitment and involvement of many stakeholders. Furthermore, there are several competence frameworks useful for educators and already promoted by the European Commission. European Schoolnet has started the work on connecting them all and offering a quick reference guide to navigate them easier. These initial steps, the current work of the STEM Education European Roadmap (the SEER) project in which European Schoolnet has joined forces with, among others, the International Centre for STEM Education (ICSE), as well as the collaboration with Ministries of Education and industry partners members of Scientix, will help create the STEM education framework. Furthermore, the contribution of STEM education researchers in this endeavor is a must.

Pilot STEM Education Centres

Not only ICSE is part of the SEER, but also Platform Talent voor Technologie (PTvT), coordinators of the EU STEM Coalition. We look forward to working with them as well as ECSITE, the European Network of Science Centres and Museums, on how to expand our knowledge on open schooling and learning ecosystems to develop these pilot STEM education centres. National examples like what they have in Portugal through their Ciencia Viva centres should be considered. 

European STEM Week

A commitment to diversity and gender balance is fundamental to fostering an equitable society. Regarding the European STEM Week and to ensure the European Commission does not start from scratch when successful initiatives exist already, European Schoolnet is ready to offer the European Commission the annual STEM Discovery Campaign that started as a STEM Discovery Week in 2016. Since then, the STEM Discovery Campaign is a joint international initiative organised by Scientix, which invites projects, organisations, libraries, schools, universities, and youth clubs across Europe and around the world, to celebrate careers and studies in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It takes place every year between 1 February and the end of April, with a peak of activities during the STEM Discovery Week (the 3rd week of April). In 2024 the campaign recorded over 4,600 activities involving over 700,000 participants.

Next steps

We look forward to the next steps of the European Commission's implementation of the STEM Education Strategic Plan working together to improving our society with more STEM-literate citizens.

For further information, please contact:

- Dr Agueda Gras-Velazquez, Head of the Science Education Department at European Schoolnet and Scientix coordinator agueda.gras@eun.org

- Evita Tasiopoulou, STEM education Expert and Pedagogical and Project Manager at European Schoolnet evita.tasiopoulou@eun.org

 

About European Schoolnet, Scientix and the SEER

European Schoolnet is a network of 30+ Ministries of Education from across Europe, leading educational innovation at European level. European Schoolnet operates key European services in innovation in education on behalf of member Ministries of Education, the European Commission, and industry partners. European Schoolnet's activities include three areas of work:

- Providing concrete evidence and data about innovation in education on which to base policy recommendations.

- Supporting schools and teachers in their teaching practices.

- Developing and sustaining a network of schools engaged in innovative teaching and learning approaches.

 

Scientix®, the Community for Science Education in Europe, promotes and supports a Europe-wide collaboration among STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) teachers, education researchers, policymakers, and other STEM education professionals. Coordinated by European Schoolnet, Scientix runs since 2010 leading the exchange of knowledge and experiences in STEM Education via its portal, publications, campaigns, professional development activities and networking events. Scientix was co-funded by the European Union's FP7 and Horizon 2020 research and innovation programmes from 2010 to 2022. It continues since 2022 as an initiative of European Schoolnet. Scientix has become the reference for STEM education in Europe providing:

- A community: including Ministries of Education (MoE STEM WG); Industry (STEM Alliance); Associated Partners; Partner Projects; Educators (Scientix Ambassadors); Schools…

- Campaigns: Scientix Awards, STEM Discovery Campaign...

- Information: News, ScientixTV, Events…

- Resources: a) Professional development: STEM School Label; MOOCs; Webinars; Workshops…; b) Networking: Blog; Interest Groups; Conferences; Seminars…; c) Knowledge: Papers; Teaching Materials; Job Profiles; Projects…

 

The SEER - The STE(A)M Education European Roadmap EU-funded project is working to provide a set of roadmaps that will pave the way for the policy and institutional changes necessary for the large-scale implementation and mainstreaming of STE(A)M education in Europe. By the end of 2025, the project will achieve this far-reaching goal by synthesising the status of STE(A)M education and evaluating national and international policies and initiatives while analysing the needs of teachers and schools. This analysis of needs and corresponding gaps in policy and resources will serve to design a set of milestones and strategies for key stakeholders, including policymakers, school decision-makers, teachers and industry, to support the uptake of STE(A)M education in Europe and beyond.

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