STEAM Festival promotes a future-responsive education for all

HANOI, 27 August 2023 – Children and young people are growing up in an uncertain time as the world grapples with the 4^th Industrial Revolution and its impact on jobs, the ongoing climate crisis and increases in post-pandemic youth unemployment. The world of work has changed, the skills young people need today are vastly different to the memory-based learning of a decade ago. The drivers of change necessitate a re-think of traditional education and learning paths and a transformation of education, skills and gender stereotypes. STEAM for Vietnam, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Viet Nam and the American Centres today launched an innovative event to reimagine education in the country through the power of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics). 

STEAMese Festival 2023, organised at Phenikaa University, promotes the importance of early and equal STEAM education for children and adolescents, especially girls – starting at the preschool level. The event was curated with a wide range of edutainment and exploratory activities drawing hundreds of children, young people, parents and teachers from various geographical areas including Ha Noi, Lao Cai and Soc Trang. The space is creatively designed for participants to enjoy, create and interact, building on the concepts of computational thinking, growth mindset and transferrable skills, applied via programmes such as Scratch and Robotics, tournaments with VEX Robotics, and science discovery etc. 

East Asia and the Pacific is home to 277 million adolescents accounting for 23% of the world’s adolescent population, an incredible cohort of youthful energy, ideas, capacity and drive. At the same time, young people face various challenges to access quality and relevant education, in their transition into decent work opportunities, and to meaningfully participate in community and policy-making processes. The climate crisis, coupled with the recent pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of economies and education systems, as companies and governments rapidly deploy digital services and increasingly innovate in response to resource scarcity. In this context, young people, governments and business leaders across the region often report a severe skills gap within STEAM. Likewise, surveyed employers across Viet Nam have observed that transferable skills around problem-solving, communication, and creative and innovative thinking, are not being found in school graduates – boys or girls.  

“Advancing and investing in STEAM education and transferrable skills is a key priority for Viet Nam, and one which UNICEF is deeply committed to – for both boys and girls,” said Le Anh Lan, UNICEF Viet Nam Education Specialist.

Ms Anh Lan continues: “The evidence points to specific challenges for girls and young women as gender differences begin even before birth, and similarly gender gaps in STEAM begin early and must be tackled throughout schooling,  starting in preschool, rather than through catch-up policies or programmes once a young woman enters the labour market. Encouraging girls’ aspirations in STEAM is critical, as is supporting a holistic approach to skills, career exploration and pathways to employment that are responsive to adolescent girls and young women.”

STEAM education also has the potential to contribute to personal empowerment, progressing communities and nations, and building economies for the future. In Viet Nam, like in many other countries, the underrepresentation of girls and women in STEAM is often rooted in unequal gender norms that reinforce a false belief that girls are not cut out for problem-solving and an inquisitive mind. Often held by parents, teachers, employers and the community, the stereotypes are linked with various societal pressures that lead to adolescent girls and women’s lower participation in STEAM careers. 

“Quality and equal STEAM education for all children, especially girls, is of absolute importance. We’re confident that the solid foundation of STEAM education will play a vital role in the success of the country's next generations in the global market. Our mission is to bring advanced STEAM education to Vietnamese children aged six to 18, building on cutting-edge technologies, innovative educational models and enhanced teachers’ capacity,” said Ms. Nguyen Phuong Thuy, Co-founder of STEAM for Vietnam Foundation. “This festival is a highlight in our journey to promote equal access for all children to free STEAM education of international standards.” 

“The U.S. Mission in Vietnam is committed to support Vietnam’s efforts to improve the quality of its higher education and produce a 21^st century workforce ready to engage globally. By working closely with like-minded partners, we can achieve so much more. Vietnamese youth are energetic, talented, and ambitious global citizens. There is no limit to their potential”, said Ms. Kate Bartlett, Cultural Affairs Officer, Embassy of the United States of America in Ha Noi at the event. 

Parents and teachers are called upon to work together to dismantle the barriers that girls and disadvantaged children face to unlock their potential to become shapers and creators of contemporary scientific knowledge and new technologies. 

The event hosted talk shows and discussions among national and international experts, policymakers and schools, sharing lesson design methods and teaching materials with teachers so that they can foster their teaching knowledge and learn from experiences in curricular design. – ENDS 

About STEAM for Vietnam Foundation 

STEAM for Vietnam Foundation is an American non-profit organization founded and operated by Vietnamese experts living and working in many countries, with the mission of bringing STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) to 20 million Vietnamese students in the next 5 years. STEAM for Vietnam Foundation has successfully delivered 8 programmes on Programming, Robotics and Arts in 7 semesters to more than 35,000 registered students from 63 provinces in Viet Nam and 33 countries around the world.

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. 

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit https://www.unicef.org/vietnam

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About the American Centres in Ha Noi and HCMC

The American Centres in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City, part of the U.S. Mission to Viet Nam, are public spaces that build in-person and online connections with the United States through access to information about the United States, English language learning, American education counselling, cutting-edge technologies, cultural exchanges, and a variety of events in a safe and welcoming environment. Library services and cultural education programmes at the American Centres are completely free to the public. We warmly welcome visits from government officials, scholars, students, and other groups interested in information about the United States. 

Media contact:

• Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang, Programme Manager, STEAM for Viet Nam, Email: partnership@steamforvietnam.org ; Tel: +84-968251310
• Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, Advocacy and Communication Specialist, UNICEF Viet Nam, Email: ntthuong@unicef.org; Tel: +84-904154678
• Press Office, the US Embassy to Ha Noi, Email: HanoiPressOffice@state.gov