Summary:
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (NewsVoir) StoryWeaver (www.storyweaver.org.in), an initiative of Pratham Books, a not-for-profit publisher, has launched the STEM Literacy Programme to enable children to discover STEM concepts through the magic of stories.
India’s National Achievement Survey (NAS 2017) indicates that in Grade 3, only about 50% of students are above the basic levels of achievement in Maths, Science and Environmental Sciences (EVS), with the number getting progressively lower through Grades 5 and 8.
The deep learning losses due to the pandemic have brought down the national average scores compared to 2017.
India’s National Education Policy 2020 emphasises the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) skills and capacities, including scientific temper, evidence-based thinking and logical reasoning and the development of the creative potential of everyone.
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.
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.
As a response, Pratham Books StoryWeaver has launched a STEM Literacy Programme which aims at sparking discovery and engagement across a broad range of STEM topics through the power of storybooks.
The programme is a rich teacher resource centered around 200+ storybooks for Grades 1 to 5, with national curriculum-aligned topics, structured lesson plans, engaging activities and teacher training resources.