Consultation on the STEM Education Implementation Plan 2022–2026

The Department of Education is developing a new Implementation plan 2022-2026, to implement the STEM Education Policy Statement. You can read more about the Policy Statement below.

You can have your say by filling in the survey here.

We would like to hear from

• Schools and Early years’ settings
• Teachers and early years’ practitioners
• Parents
• Higher and further education institutions,
• Business and industry,
• Education partners,
• STEM related organisations/associations
• Out-of-school STEM providers and
• Other interested parties.

The voice of the student is of utmost importance, this will be gathered through targeted focus groups

This consultation phase will take place until 26 January 2022. During this time we will gather information on the implementation to date and identify actions under each of the 4 pillars, as set out below.

• Pillar 1 Nurture Learner engagement and participation
• Pillar 2 Enhance early years practitioner and teacher capacity
• Pillar 3 Support STEM Education Practice
• Pillar 4 Use Evidence to support STEM education.

To ensure a comprehensive review of the existing STEM Education Implementation Plan 2017-2019 (extended to 2021 due to Covid-19), to inform the development of the new implementation plan, a comprehensive consultation framework is required to ensure a meaningful and effective consultation process. The new consultation framework proposes the following approach to address this:

1. Public call for written submissions to stem@education.gov.ie

2. Focus groups on specific themes with key stakeholders (e.g., education partners, industry, students, parents)

3. Bilateral with other Departments, Agencies and other Stakeholders.

Any queries regarding the development of the new implementation plan please contact stem@education.gov.ie

The Department’s STEM Education Policy Statement 2017–2026, published in November 2017, provides a national focus on STEM education in our early years’ settings and schools and sets out the ambitious goals and actions required to achieve and improve the STEM education experience and outcomes for all learners.

This policy statement was developed following extensive consultation with stakeholders, research and has also been informed by the STEM Education in the Irish School System Report.

It sets out ambitious journey up to 2026 which will be dynamic and evolve to meet the challenges of the future. Its’ vision is to provide “the highest quality STEM education experience for learners that nurtures curiosity, inquiry, problem-solving, creativity, ethical behaviour, confidence and persistence, along with the excitement of collaborative innovation”.

The STEM Education Implementation Plan 2017-2019 built on the range of reforms and initiatives already underway in STEM, in areas such as curriculum and assessment reform, teacher professional development, embedding digital learning and advances in initial teacher education. It was the first of three defined stages of implementation between 2017 and 2026.

Stage two implementation was to run from 2020 until end 2022, however development was postponed due to the impact of COVID-19 on the school system, when consultation was not possible. It is now planned that combined implementation of stages two and three will run from 2022–2026.

Some key achievements to date include:

• Guidelines in relation to forming Business/Industry-school partnerships were launched on 14th November 2019. An online toolkit accompanies these guidelines and includes case studies/ examples of good practice
• STEM awareness campaigns continue in conjunction with Science Foundation Ireland include #IGetPaidToDoThis and #ThisIsStem
• A Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework which supports the cross-sectoral design and delivery of STEM CPD has been developed
• STEM related curricular reform since 2017 has included the introduction of Leaving Certificate Computer Science, as well as new specifications for Art, Agricultural Science and Applied Maths. All new specifications for Junior Cycle including Mathematics, Science and Technology subjects have been introduced. A number of short courses at Junior Cycle have also been introduced, including Junior Cycle Coding.
• Framework for Leaving Certificate Computer Science was introduced
• A literature review and an assessment of current interventions in relation to female participation in STEM was published in Q4 2020
• Development of Gender Balance in STEM report and recommendations
• STEM resources for the Aistear Síolta practice Guide to support STEM practices within early years settings were developed
• The Department is collaborating with SFI on their Discover Programme call in order to create opportunities for increased participation and engagement with STEM.
• STEM Education 2020: Reporting on Practice in Early Learning and Care, Primary and Post-Primary Contexts was published by the Inspectorate.
• Digital Learning 2020: Reporting on practice in Early Learning and Care, Primary and Post-Primary Contexts was published by the Inspectorate.

The consultation phase will be open from 13th December 2021 to 26th January 2022. If you would like to contribute, please fill in the survey hereOR stem@education.gov.ie