Mathematics, science enthusiasts attend STEM festival

Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Wednesday April 12, 2017 15:45

It was held under the theme: Stem for Development; Creating a Sustainable future for Botswana.

Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology Theophilus Mooko said that the purpose of the annual event is to popularise and cultivate a lifelong interest on STEM. He was officiating at the festival the

He said that STEM festival is part of the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) corporate culture, which promotes excellence and innovation. He commended BIUST for coming up with the initiative as it serves as a point of reference for interaction with different stakeholders.

Mooko added that the festival should also be a source of inspiration for the institution to ensure that it has tangible outcomes that it can show to its stakeholders and partners.

The PS further said that STEM festival accentuates the need to come up with diverse strategies that they can employ to promote advances in STEM.

He said their Ministry has been given the mandate to coordinate and consolidate efforts of harnessing and applying science and technology in driving Botswana’s economic development.

Mooko indicated that their Ministry is also a critical player in the transformation from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy and it connects them with different stakeholders whose contributions are vital to this pursuit.

“This is an enormous responsibility which calls upon all of us to work together in order to transform our promise into tangible results,” he said.

The PS further said that there is a need to have a common understanding of the value of STEM and how it relates to their day-to-day lives.

“I have no doubt that STEM festival will go a long way towards assisting us to accomplish this goal,” he said. Mooko said that as part of their ministry’s commitment to driving innovation, they would be implementing the innovation fund beginning this current financial year and encouraged participants to apply for funding. He shared that the nation faced the challenge of poor academic performance on science and mathematics subjects and called for measures that are geared towards addressing these challenges.

Mooko applauded BIUST for this innovative event and for seeking to be part of the solution in their collective efforts to chart the way for their young learners, adding that STEM festival resonate with their nation’s commitment to embracing science and technology.

When giving the overview of STEM festival the vice chancellor of BIUST Professor Otlogetswe Totolo said that the festival aims to allow academic institutions and industry to showcase their STEM niches as a demonstration of their nations march toward a knowledge-based economy.

He said that STEM festival also helps learners, researchers and the public to appreciate what science, technology, engineering and mathematics can do by observing home-grown innovations, inventions and their usages in their everyday lives.

“STEM festivals therefore, bolster the public’s STEM awareness by celebrating science, technology, engineering and mathematics through various activities which include exhibitions, seminars, symposia and demonstrations under the theme, STEM for Development: Creating a Sustainable Future for Botswana,” he said.