At the signing ceremony for partnership between UNICEF and STEAM for Vietnam Foundation on providing children in Vietnam with equitable learning opportunities on STEAM (Photo: VNA) This shared value partnership aims to close the digital gap and promote digital literacy opportunities for millions of children and adolescents in Vietnam, aligning with the government’s strategy for the next five years.
Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam, said that STEAM for Vietnam has mobilised some of the best minds to create a specific set of relevant, entertaining, open source, learning materials on areas where girls in particular have traditionally been left behind.
These relate to science, technology, engineering, arts and math and the learning approach used drives creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills and much more. Improving science, technology, arts and math outcomes for girls and boys is a core focus of UNICEF’s Reimagine Education approach in Vietnam, and thus the partnership will seek to extend the reach of these stimulating resources to every child everywhere, especially girls, she said.
In joining hands to drive digital literacy and skills for children at every age, STEAM for Vietnam and UNICEF will partner on the broader Reimagine Education goals that include connectivity and a digital device for every child to learn and thrive, Flowers said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tran Viet Hung, CEO of STEAM for Vietnam Foundation, said: “We believe that a strong foundation of STEAM education will play a critical role in the success of the next generation of Vietnam in the global marketplace. STEAM for Vietnam would like to bring state-of-the-art STEAM education to children in Vietnam aged 6 to 18 through advanced technologies, innovative education models, and teacher expertise. We are honored and excited to begin our journey with UNICEF with the aim of providing every child with equal opportunities in accessing world-class STEAM education for free”.
This joint partnership programme will contribute to nationally recognized online learning solutions and digital transformation of the education system in Vietnam.
STEAM for Vietnam Foundation was founded in May 2020, with a mission to bring world-class STEAM education to millions of young Vietnamese for free. In only twelve months, the foundation has been successfully developing the technology ecosystem, creating innovative educational content, and implementing novel education models to provide 20 thousand students across Vietnam with courses in computational thinking, computer science, and robotics and receiving great feedback from schools, families, and students.
The partnership aims to provide every child in Vietnam with an equal opportunity to access world-class STEAM education for free including a variety of programmes from fundamental courses to advanced courses. This summer, students can register for two courses - Introduction to Computational Thinking and Programming with Scratch and Introduction to Computer Science with Python for children from 8 to 16 years old. The classes will be on Sunday mornings from June 27 to August 15, 2021, and taught by software engineers who work in tech giants. Students interested in the courses can register at www.steamforvietnam.org./.
VNA
