The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Pilot Program has been running in eight primary schools from the beginning of November 2021 to the end of May 2022. The operation of the STEM program is planned to also be implemented in Secondary Education.

The program, which states the educational policy and direction, promotes an integrated interdisciplinary approach to the learning process. Children are involved in activities that provide them with opportunities to utilize knowledge, concepts, processes and practices in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to address situations and issues related to the world of everyday life.

In the schools that are part of the Optional All-Day School (OAS) system and have implemented the STEM program, the existing timetable for the afternoon period was reinforced with a lesson on STEM subjects. The program was offered twice a week in two 40-minute lessons each day for students of Grade 6 who chose to follow this option. The students complete projects through which they seek, design, elaborate and propose innovative solutions to various issues of the 1-day experience, in a context of coexistence and synergies among the four disciplines.

Permanent teachers with postgraduate qualifications and/or experience in teaching STEM subjects deliver the STEM program. The teachers who have been selected to carry out teaching duties must attend a training program, which is offered by the Directorate of Primary Education, in collaboration with the Pedagogical Institute.

Source: Eurydice Unit Cyprus