Zhou Yaming, director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, speaks of the establishment of the UNESCO International Institute for STEM Education during a live program on Radio Shanghai. [Photo/Radio Shanghai]

Shanghai will construct the UNESCO International Institute for STEM Education with high standards and operate from a high starting point as the world pays special attention to STEM education, said Zhou Yaming, director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, during a live program on Radio Shanghai.

The 42nd Session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris, France passed the proposal to establish the UNESCO International Institute for STEM Education in Shanghai in November 2023. It's one of 10 Category 1 institutes that UNESCO has set up worldwide and the first center outside of Europe and the United States.

The primary function of the institute is to promote education in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) on a global scale, covering various stages from early childhood to adulthood.

Zhou stressed that the international community has been focusing on STEM education because it is closely related to sci-tech innovation, hard power, and core technology. "STEM education is key to sci-tech innovation capability and an important way to train innovative talents," said Zhou.

Zhou said that the selection of Shanghai as the location for the International STEM Education Institute fills a void in the city's establishment of important intergovernmental international centers. This move is expected to attract more global organizations, institutions, and enterprises to Shanghai, enhancing the city's soft power.

The institute, which will be located in Xuhui's waterfront area along the Huangpu River, is set to deepen the reform for STEM education and further cultivate talents in sci-tech innovation, Zhou added.

Source: thepaper.cn