• WB report highlights challenges to females’ access to STEM education/careers in South Asia 
• Includes teacher shortages, limited facilities, negative social perceptions, low labour force participation 

Despite various plans and attempts to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Sri Lanka, certain factors such as the shortage of teachers for certain STEM streams, limited infrastructure facilities to enhance STEM learning, and social perceptions that some occupations are better suited to males, have impeded females’ access to STEM education and careers. The same perception plays a considerable role when it comes to females choosing STEM subjects in various other higher educational settings such as vocational training.

Noting this, a recent report titled “Engendering Access to STEM Education and Careers in South Asia” which was authored by Shobhana Sosale, Graham Mark Harrison, Namrata Tognatta, Shiro Nakata, and Priyal Mukesh Gala, stated that in the South Asian region, female participation in STEM education faces a multitude of challenges, and that it has in turn affected their participation in the labour force, which already has a low share of female workers. The report was issued by the World Bank (WB).

STEM education in Sri Lanka

Explaining the overall situation of education in the country, the report said that in a context where Sri Lanka aspires to become globally competitive by integrating technology into every sector of its economy, investing strategically in new technologies, and linking the education system to innovations, the country needs to develop a generation of students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to achieve technological advancements and innovations that enhance productivity in a sustainable way. 

The report identified several factors which it said impedes females’ access to STEM education and careers in Sri Lanka, including the shortage of teachers in some schools for some STEM streams, limited infrastructure facilities in certain schools to enhance STEM learning, and social perceptions that some occupations are better suited for males.

Noting that the Sri Lankan Government has introduced policies to encourage the demand for education, including free school education, subsidised public transport, scholarship for Grade Five students, and a health insurance scheme, it explained that different types of schools provide opportunities for students to pursue different subject streams at the collegiate level: “At the primary level, STEM education is limited to mathematics and environmental studies. A national assessment of Grade Four students in mathematics found that girls scored higher than boys in both 2002 and 2015. Moreover, an assessment of 2019 Grade Five examinations revealed gender differences, with 54% of girls and 46% of boys scoring above the cutoff marks. At the secondary level, in addition to mathematics, students are introduced to science, practical technical skills, and health science. Many schools with computer labs also offer classes in information and communications technology. National assessments of Grade Eight students in mathematics and science in 2012, 2014, and 2016 indicated that girls outperformed boys in these subjects. At the collegiate level, students can select biological science, physical science, biotechnology, or engineering technology streams. They can also choose non-STEM subjects, such as commerce, arts, and vocational streams.”

When it comes to higher education, the report noted that more females graduate from non-STEM streams, such as arts, education, management, commerce, and law, and that more males graduate from STEM streams, such as engineering, architecture, and computer science. More postgraduate female students graduate with non-STEM degrees than STEM degrees, and therefore, enrollment of females in STEM postgraduate degrees should be encouraged, as per the report. With regard to STEM education at the vocational education level, it was further noted that in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), females’ access to STEM TVET is limited because TVET is considered the domain of males.

Discussing the situation of the labour market, the report highlighted that female participation in Sri Lanka’s labour force, which consists of 8.1 million workers, is merely 34%, and that as per 2019 statistics, 45% of workers were engaged in STEM-related occupations.

The report added: “The share of female researchers varied by country, from 8% in Nepal to 37% in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, a larger portion of female researchers were engaged in ‘softer’ sciences and the social sciences (30%) than in engineering and technology (27%). Interviews with global experts indicate that in South Asia, cultural restrictions and a lack of career opportunities play major roles in the decrease in female researchers after the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) level. The main barriers identified were females' lack of mobility, networks, and recognition.”

The necessary interventions

To address the above-mentioned challenges, the report recommended a number of interventions by stakeholders and governments.

“Stakeholder interventions can be executed at different scales, including by firms, non-profits, non-governmental organisations, and governments, and be implemented locally, nationally, or regionally,” the report noted, adding that interventions around the world can be tailored to local audiences and circumstances. Some versions of these actions are frequently attempted, including in South Asia, and a coordinated intervention, with well-designed materials and evaluation processes, significantly increases the potential impact and the likelihood of adoption by stakeholders, STEM sectors, and even governments. Though the cost might be higher in financial and staff support, the resulting broader, more inclusive STEM workforce offers considerable benefits, according to the report.

Among the stakeholder interventions that were discussed in the report were, corporate and sectoral outreach, regarding which it added: “At all levels of the education system, outreach from different actors in STEM can shape perceptions of STEM activities and careers for students and their parents. Health sciences, a readily acknowledged STEM career field, attract a large number of females, but others do not. Systematic and standardised resources on STEM education, jobs, and careers, coupled with their well-designed dissemination, can help develop female interest in STEM overall. Examples of such resources include, multimedia aids on STEM jobs and economic and societal benefits, developed by educators, role models to offer guidance to students on topics such as educational expectations of potential employers, corporate benefits, and career paths, open houses and tours showcasing local facilities, such as factories and power plants.”

By building relationships with students, stakeholders can build knowledge and human capacity in STEM by raising awareness of it outside the formal academic environment, it was further recommended, which the report said could be achieved through after-school programmes focused on STEM problem-solving, science fairs and competitions with coordination and judges provided by STEM stakeholders, and summer camps and programmes offering extra-curricular STEM programmes to interested and talented students. Also pointing out as an intervention the provision of more support for STEM in primary and secondary education, the report recommended problem based learning examples from the STEM sectors and stakeholders, practical and lab based exercises, field trips to demonstrate concepts taught in the classroom, and science museums that connect classroom concepts to careers, business sectors, and societal challenges.

In addition, providing support for STEM teachers, outreach to tertiary education, support for female STEM students, strengthening the STEM curricula, building the capacity of STEM faculties including females, and corporate and sector outreach were among the recommended interventions.

Moreover, stressing that governments could implement specific interventions to support the broader STEM enterprise in South Asia and the increased participation of girls and women in STEM education and careers, the report put forward several interventions with a focus on strengthening the pipeline of talented females for STEM education and careers, as well as on building the knowledge and data needed to retain females in STEM at all levels.

To improve primary and secondary education-level STEM teachers, it was noted that strengthening teacher training and providing the resources to enable schools to employ qualified and dedicated mathematics and science teachers for all students is critical to building the STEM workforce of the future. It would also ensure that all segments of the society, including females and underrepresented groups, contribute to STEM-based economic development. To improve tertiary education STEM teachers, it was recommended to increase the share of faculties and lecturers with PhDs, increase the number and proportion of female faculties in STEM disciplines, reduce student to faculty ratios to improve teaching and mentoring and to facilitate opportunities for more extensive research, and provide ongoing support for professional development to ensure that STEM faculties remain at the forefront of knowledge generation and dissemination.

In addition, in order to improve basic and secondary STEM education, the report recommended benchmarking academic performance against international standards, ensuring sufficient local capacity for upper secondary students interested in STEM tracks, prioritising the availability and accessibility of appropriate water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities for girls and women in all schools and education facilities, providing dormitories at schools for female students who cannot live at home, incorporating problem-based learning into the curricula, creating resilient, sustainable laboratory and information technology facilities in schools at all grade levels, and constructing, where appropriate, dedicated science focused schools to facilitate access for interested and qualified students. 

The interventions that were recommended for tertiary STEM education included; international benchmarking and accreditation for STEM programmes, problem-based learning for national accreditation, resilient and sustainable teaching, laboratory, and information technology facilities, strong public funding for research and development, with links to industry partnerships, dedicated dormitories and learning communities for female STEM students, dedicated scholarship and fellowship programmes for female STEM students, and internship opportunities for all STEM students, especially female students.