1. The False Culprits
STEAM makes up the most important parts of the structure of our now everyday world. Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math are what have progressed our society through different discoveries and inventions. So, why would that basic structure be overlooked in many countries' rigorous school curriculums?
Recent research often blames physical and lab obstacles (fixed high counters, heavy equipment), digital and math gaps (static images instead of accessible code), or infrastructure shortages (a lack of fast internet and maker spaces in rural schools). But let's be honest, these aren't the real barriers. STEAM can be taught anywhere, anyhow, and in any way. Electrical engineering components are very cheap to provide, and alternative art supplies can always be found. These physical and digital gaps could easily be bridged if we had a system genuinely interested in helping students.
2. The Stigma Against Creativity
The lack of STEM education in many countries isn't actually because of physical obstacles, digital gaps, or infrastructure shortages. In most cases, the system has been formed in such a way that any form of creativity and deviation from the closed minded school curriculum is thought to be bad and is avoided at all costs.
Traditional teaching relies on a single method of instruction and rigid testing. Because of this instructional rigor, every deviation from the "normal" way of teaching is dismissed as a secondary lesson that students don't have to study. This breeds a systemic stigma. Low expectations from faculty and a refusal to adapt to neurodivergent students mean that people who actually end up pursuing STEM related degrees rarely want to return to that closed minded environment to become teachers.
3. The STEM Specific Double Standard
If you notice, this systemic failure almost exclusively happens with STEM subjects. You wouldn't ever have an English teacher who held a PhD in chemical engineering, that simply wouldn't make sense.
Yet, in schools today, an English teacher might actually be forced to teach their students electrical engineering because of the severe lack of specialized professionals. The rigid curriculum drives away actual STEM professionals, leaving schools desperately understaffed and forcing unqualified educators to teach complex scientific materials just to check a box on a syllabus.
4. The Reality in Practice: A Look at Greece
Take Greece, my country, as a perfect example of this systemic failure. A basic Google search will tell you that we're missing out on STEM education due to geographical inequities, laboratory deficits, and teacher training shortages. But that's only half the story.
In March of 2023, our country's education minister, Mrs. Kerameus, made a purchase of over 177,000 robotics and STEM kits for primary, middle, and high schools. Yet, the actual implementation of that curriculum is only starting this year. Why? Because when the kits were provided to the schools, no guide was provided to the teachers, and virtually no teacher was an electrical engineer. There were very few instances where students actually got to build robots. Instead, most schools simply locked those kits away in high humidity closets because they had no idea what to do with them. Throwing infrastructure at a broken, closed minded system doesn't fix the problem.
5. Stop Waiting, Start Building
A healthy way to help students, beyond the typical hope that the system changes and relieves itself from this closed mindedness, is to take action yourself instead of waiting on the government or your local school to implement solutions. Sign up for communities, whether online or local, or go ahead and create your own community for your favorite STEM subject.
That's exactly what I've done, and you can join me in this amazing experience by visiting stemnet.app. It's an app centered around Greek students but directed globally towards underprivileged students who need a STEM community where they can find resources, discover events, and connect with people to discuss their passions.
