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STEM education in NSW schools

STEM education in NSW schools

Advice on legislation or legal policy issues contained in this paper is provided for use in parliamentary debate and for related parliamentary purposes. This paper is not professional legal opinion.
e-brief 05/2017 by Tom Gotsis

​The STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) are widely recognised as being crucial to the wellbeing and prosperity of Australia and its people. Yet Australia’s school students are less engaged with STEM studies than their international peers. Further, participation in STEM subjects has decreased; and STEM performance has, in general, declined since 1995 in both absolute terms and relative to other nations.

This e-brief reviews current national and NSW Government policies aimed at promoting STEM school outcomes. It also discusses whether the focus on STEM education undermines the concept of a comprehensive education and risks creating an oversupply of STEM graduates.

The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.