UNESCO inaugurates STEM education institute in Shanghai

Behind the inauguration of the institute, the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre, a Category 2 institution under the auspices of UNESCO settling at the Shanghai Normal University in 2021, has been making continuous support and efforts in promoting global STEM education.

The two sides launched the "Go to Global South: Shanghai International STEM Education Volunteer Project" in 2022, which aims to address urgent shared educational challenges in the Global South and has reached over 600 pre- and in-service teachers by far.

The project volunteers have engaged school leaders and teachers across Africa and Southeast Asia through online and in-person STEM workshops and community-based teaching demonstrations, inspiring large crowds of teachers and students across the Global South.

"Our teacher education used to be too theoretical — we shall pivot to practice. Working with Chinese volunteers showed me that the teacher is not about the diploma, but about the focus on teaching and how learning happens," said teacher training tutor Mustafa Saleh from Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Tanzania was the project's first landing point. Joel Justine Mhoja, national coordinator for teacher continuous professional development at President's Office, Regional Administration and Local Government in Tanzania, said the Chinese experts, teachers and students are invaluable partners.

"Their approaches for teaching mathematics and science have inspired our local teachers. If more schools can adapt these approaches, overall learning outcome will rise significantly," he added.

Between July to August, 33 youth education volunteers were sent to Indonesia, Tanzania and Thailand to conduct regional education needs assessments, teach STEM-related lessons, and facilitate local teacher professional development. They met principals, teachers, university students, scholars and policymakers to better understand educational changes and challenges, listen to local feedback on activities and identify opportunities for future cooperation.

"We are exploring a form of regional education needs assessment that differs from geopolitical and competition-driven area studies. Our goal is to enhance mutual understanding between China and partner countries' education communities, co-develop knowledge and experience, and jointly create solutions to shared problems." said Zhang Huafeng, an associate professor at Shanghai Normal University.