New Zealand Science Teacher

Science and Society project to boost education

27/11/2013

Unique joint education-science sector plan announced.

When the government announced the National Science Challenges in May, 2013, a panel of experts put forward another challenge: to address how science is perceived and discussed in this country.

New Zealand Science Teacher wrote about the special ‘Science and Society Challenge’ that was announced alongside the other Challenges.  

On November 26, Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce and Education Minister Hekia Parata announced the ‘Science and Society project’, which aims to boost achievement in STEM subjects (science, maths, technology and engineering) across the country.

The objectives of the Science and Society project are to:

-          Increase the STEM skills of young people, to meet the needs of 21^st century life and the labour market.

-          Improve science literacy for all New Zealanders.

“The Science and Society project is a unique opportunity for the education and science sectors to work together and increase scientific literacy. It will target a range of areas including, for example, helping to address National Standards figures which show that one third of young people are achieving below the national standards for maths in years 7 and 8,” Ms Parata says.

A group of experts, chaired by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor Sir Peter Gluckman, will be set up to advise officials on the draft project plan.

This plan will be publicly consulted on and the final project plan should be published and adopted by June 2014.