For the last few months, I have been interacting with many parents who want to know what STEM is and why it is important for their children. These conversations have compelled me to think deeply about what parents want for their kids today, and what they are getting in the “market”. 

With the edutech boom in the last year or so, many parents, especially in the metro cities, have heard of the word STEM, and are curious to know more. The fact that the #NEP suggests STEM as an integral part of the school curriculum has also helped to raise awareness. Unfortunately, the recent boom in the edutech domain and the rise of the various unicorns who have been able to penetrate into most households, has also made STEM become synonymous with robotics and coding. And parents are undergoing a real fear of missing out on getting their kids enrolled into the most advertised and glamorous courses to collect the certificates. Knowing is being confused with learning. There is no thought being given to the fact if these courses help the kids to learn or do they just teach them how to follow instructions. 

So-called future-ready skills are not knowing robotics or coding alone. Future-ready skills are those that allow the kids to learn, think independently and solve innovatively. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – it is a way of thinking that allows the kids to think out-of-the-box, in an interdisciplinary way. STEM is much more than robotics and coding – it is about understanding the fundamental concepts of all aspects of STEM in a manner that can be applied to solve real-world problems. Technology is changing so rapidly in today’s age that by the time our kids grow up, today’s technologies will be ancient. So, we need to equip our kids with the skills that will never become ancient – first principles thinking, innovative and hands-on mindset, confidence and creativity. 

We, as parents, need to pause and think about what we want for our children. Are we happy for them to be one among the thousands of engineers and professionals that our colleges churn out every year, or do we want them to become leaders in their respective fields who lead by example? Leaders who are able to carve the path towards a better society through science and technology. Because the latter is what will propel our country to climb up the innovation index. A mission that STEMonsters is committed to.

What do you think as a parent? Let me know your thoughts.