FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY STEAM EDUCATION

FOR EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN

AFRICA

2023 CONFERENCE HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH AND

POLICY NETWORK (HERPNET)

BY

BOLAJI, Olufemi Akinloye

and
DR. ADESINA, Abiodun Ezekiel
BIOLOGY AND INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDCATION,
FACULTY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION,
EMMANUEL ALAYANDE UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, OYO, OYO
STATE, NIGERIA.
 Outlines
O Introduction;
O STEAM Education;

O Benefits of STEAM Education;

O Graduates' Unemployability;
O Graduates' Unentrepreneurship;
O Financing Sustainability STEAM Education
for Employability and Entrepreneurship in
Africa.

PEDAGOGIES AND POLICIES AMIDST GLOBAL

20-06-23
EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGES
 Introduction

O At this critical point in its socioeconomic development, Africa

faces both tremendous prospects and difficult obstacles.

O It is vital to give the continent's youths the knowledge and

abilities they need to succeed in a world that is constantly
changing as a result of knowledge explosion, values volatility,
population increase and urbanization (Adesina, 2023; OECD,
2018).

O The necessity of sustainability-focused STEAM (Science,

Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education is
essential to achieving this goal since it is a potent driver of
entrepreneurship and employability in Africa.
Introduction (contd)
O It is a widely known fact that any society's ability to prosper in
the future is directly correlated with the caliber of its
educational system.
O A holistic approach is provided by STEAM education, which
equips students with the skills necessary to solve Africa's
sustainability problems creatively as well as make them
employable (Guyotte et al., 2015; Neese, 2023).

O The continent is faced with an ironic situation: high rates of

youth unemployment in contrast to a rising need for workers
with specialized skills.

O A concentrated effort is needed to close the gap between

market demands and educational performance in order to solve
this problem.
 Introduction (contd)
O Employers look for graduates who can handle complicated problems and
who are not only technically skilled but also flexible, innovative, and
adaptable.

O Therefore, STEAM education with an emphasis on sustainability

becomes essential since it fosters problem-solving skills as well as a
profound awareness of the interdependence of social, economic, and
environmental systems in addition to imparting technical knowledge
(Adesina, 2022; Carter et al., 2021; Neese, 2023).

O This effort explores the complex problems related to funding STEAM

education in Africa with an emphasis on sustainability. It highlights the
difficulties graduates encounter in finding work and starting their own
businesses, highlighting the critical role that education plays in
converting these difficulties into chances for development.
FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY STEAM EDUCATION FOR
EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AFRICA
STEAM Education
O A unified learning paradigm that integrates the fields of science,
technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics is known as STEAM
education (Adesina, 2022; Rodrigues-Silva & Alsina 2023c).

O Giving pupils a comprehensive and well-rounded education that

prepares them for a variety of occupations and gives them the essential
skills for the current world is the aim of STEAM education.

O STEAM education embed arts to STEM (Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics) education to incorporates the ability,
capability, skills in artistic designs to STEM without which the socio-
cultural context of unraveling the societal issues and challenges cannot
be ascertained.

22-Oct-19
 STEAM Education (CONTD)
O “A STEAM education can be defined as an evolution
O of the traditional STEM education model that adds
O the arts into the mix. With this new acronym,
O STEAM stands for "Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts,
O and Mathematics."STEAM learning takes a truly holistic
O approach, encouraging students to think outside the
box,
O solve problems innovatively, and make connections
O between seemingly unrelated subjects. It recognizes the
O importance of the arts as catalysts for nurturing creativity,
O imagination, and critical thinking skills in students.
O It goes beyond visual arts and includes music, drama, and
O other forms of creative expression.” (Neese, 2023).
O

Pragmatic Approach to Effective Lesson Delivery in STEM 22-Oct-19

 STEAM Education (CONTD)
O STEAM education can be implemented as project-based learning or
collaborative project learning, which will help kids develop
cooperative learning strategies and a deeper comprehension of the five
learning domains.
O The British International STEAM School (2023) claims that inquiry-
based STEAM education adheres to best practices and well-researched
pedagogy connected to the constructivists’ theory of knowledge.
O The main goal of STEAM is raising awareness of people as well as the
globe. Students can investigate what it means to be in charge of their
own education and feelings by using this awareness.

O It is empowering and gives each student a voice. STEAM education

puts an emphasis on critical thinking. It is a type of learning-centered
programme, STEAM is community based.

FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY STEAM EDUCATION FOR

22-Oct-19
EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AFRICA
 Benefits of STEAM Education
O STEAM education is beneficial for a number of reasons.
Interdisciplinary learning as it helps students apply their knowledge
across disciplines and recognize the links between various subjects.

O Critical thinking in STEAM education fosters creativity, critical

cerebration, and problem-solving abilities—all of which are necessary
for taking on challenging real-world problems (Neese, 2023;
Rodrigues-Silva & Alsina 2023c).

O Future readiness with a world progressively reliant on technology,

STEAM education prepares children for professions in science,
engineering, technology, and the arts by providing them with the
necessary knowledge and skills.
O
 Benefits of STEAM Education (CONTD)
O Global Competitiveness is attainable with students that have a solid
STEAM foundation are better equipped to compete in the global labor
market.

O Project-based learning, in which students work on tasks or problems

requiring them to apply knowledge from different STEAM fields, is a
common way that STEAM education is done (Conradty & Bogner,
2020; Hadinugrahaningsih et al., 2017; Lin & Tsai, 2021).

O With regard to sustainability and sustainable development, this

educational framework seeks to provide students with the values,
information, and abilities needed to confront the environmental, social,
and economic issues at hand (Guyotte et al., 2015; Neese, 2023).

FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY STEAM EDUCATION FOR

EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AFRICA
 Benefits of STEAM Education (CONTD)
O Environmental awareness as teaching children about the value of
environmental conservation, ecological systems, and the effects of human
activity on the world are important components of sustainability STEAM
education.
O This covers subjects including matter and materials, energy, conservation
of energy, renewable energy, biodiversity, environmental degradation,
global warming and climate change etc.

O The goal of systems thinking is to help students comprehend the effects

of different decisions on the economy, society, and environment by
having them study intricately linked systems.

O Community Engagement in encouraging students to actively participate

in improving sustainability in their communities by involving them in
community-based sustainability activities.
 Benefits of STEAM Education (CONTD)
O Global Perspective since many sustainability concerns cut beyond
national boundaries, it is important to educate students about the
challenges facing the world's sustainability and to inspire them to think
and act internationally.

O Innovation and Entrepreneurship helps in fostering innovative ideas and

entrepreneurial thinking to create sustainable goods, services, and
solutions (Neese, 2023; Rodrigues-Silva & Alsina, 2023b).

O Permanence, several factors make STEAM education permanent and

crucial, including taking on urgent challenges that gives students the
information and abilities they need to take on urgent global issues like
resource depletion, climate change, and environmental degradation.

O It enhances the learners with capacity for optimum environmental

mastery.

FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY STEAM EDUCATION FOR

EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AFRICA
Graduates' Unemployability
O Many people who have finished their higher education are faced with
the difficult and multidimensional problem of graduates' employability,
or more accurately graduates' unemployability.

O This issue is caused by several variables that differ from place to place.
Among the important ones are:

 Skills Mismatch;
 Deficit in Real-World Experience;
 Lack of Soft Skills;
 Limited Networking;
 Economic Factors;
 Insufficient professional assistance;
 Underemployment;
 Technological Advancements; and
 Globalization
22-Oct-19
 Graduates' Unentrepreneurship
O "Graduates' unentrepreneurship" describes the phenomena where people
who have finished their education—especially higher education—do not
actively pursue entrepreneurship or launch their own companies.

O This tendency is influenced by multiple factors.:

 Absence of Entrepreneurial Skills;

 Risk Aversion;
 Financial constraints;
 Cultural and Social Expectations;
 Lack of Mentoring and Support;
 Market Competition;
 Knowledge Gap

22-Oct-19
 Financing Sustainability STEAM Education for
Employability and Entrepreneurship in Africa
O Among the top seven challenges to higher education in Africa is
inadequacies in funding, others are:
 depreciating quality of higher education teachers,
 research capacity deficit,
 Infrastructural/facilities inadequacies,
 capacity deficit of quality assurance agencies,
 management inefficiencies,
 poor quality of entrants into higher education from the secondary
level (Okebukola, 2016; Ubogub & Isreal, 2023).

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics)

education is a vital undertaking that calls for a multi-pronged strategy
engaging numerous stakeholders.

FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY STEAM EDUCATION FOR

EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AFRICA
 Financing Sustainability STEAM Education for
Employability and Entrepreneurship in Africa (contd)

The following are some methods for funding these kinds of projects:

 Public Investment;
 International organizations, bilateral partnerships, and Non-
Governmental Organizations (NGOs);
 Engagement of the Private Sector;
 Philanthropic Foundations;
 Venture Capital and Impact Investing;
 Crowdfunding;
 Research Grants and Scholarships;
 Income-Generating Initiatives and
 Use of Technology.
 Sustainability

O The idea of sustainability is to satisfy current needs without

endangering the capacity of future generations to satisfy their own.

O It entails making conscientious judgments to guarantee that our

actions, choices, and ways of living do not destroy or impair the
environment, human society, or the economy.

O Social justice, economic stability, and environmental preservation are

just a few of the many elements that make up sustainability (Chukwu
et al., 2021).

Pragmatic Approach to Effective Lesson Delivery in STEM 22-Oct-19

 Sustainability (cond)
O The following are important sustainability concepts and elements:

O Environmental sustainability is concerned with safeguarding and

preserving natural resources, cutting down on pollution, and
minimizing the damaging effects of human activity on ecosystems.

O It involves actions to prevent climate change by cutting greenhouse gas

emissions and to preserve biodiversity, energy, and water (Adesina,
2020; Chukwu et al., 2021).

O Building a strong, robust economy that can sustain both the present
and the future generations is the goal of economic sustainability.

O It entails managing resources responsibly, producing and consuming

responsibly, and promoting economic growth that doesn't negatively
impact society or the environment.
FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY STEAM EDUCATION FOR
EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AFRICA
 Sustainability (cond)
O Cultural Sustainability: Preserving and honoring cultural diversity and legacy is
the essence of cultural sustainability. It acknowledges the significance of
cultural identity, customs, and traditions in the context of sustainable
development.

O Long-Term Sustainability makes plans for how sustainability STEAM

educational projects can eventually become self-sustaining through income
generating or economically efficient operations in order to ensure their long-
term sustainability.

O African Union projects: Support regional STEAM sustainability and education

projects by utilizing continental institutions like the African Union. There must
be collaboration within and among the African nations to enhance and empower
sustainability STEAM education in the region.

O To achieve sustained education and economic development on the continent, a

mix of collaborations, creative financing structures, and investments from the
public and private sectors will be essential.
 Conclusion
O STEAM education in sustainability form is highly expedient for Africa
transformation and attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by
2030.

O The socio-cultural cum economic challenges bedeviling STEM education in the

continent can be mellowed with the integration and amalgamation of arts to
construct another paradigm known as STEAM which gives ability, capability,
innovativeness, creativity, critical thinkinness, problem-solving ability, self-
regulation and many other crucial 21 st century skills to the recipients.

O Financing such colossal sustainability STEAM education in Africa continent

entails governmental and non-governmental collaboration and building a
financial model that is self-sustainable from the continent and the whole world.

O Thus, the potentiality and propensity of sustainable STEAM education to

precursor graduates and youth employability and entrepreneurship can be
ascertained.

FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY STEAM EDUCATION FOR

EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AFRICA
 Recommendations
African nations should converge to develop a curriculum for sustainability
STEAM education for all levels of educational institutions to commence the
journey of the continental transformation;

O Ministries of education in the continents should earmark substantial budgetary

allocation to financing sustainability STEAM education as the takeoff grants to
curry the supports of the international organizations like UNESCO, UNICEF,
World Bank, OECD, USAID etc.,

O Educational institutions in the African nations should explore available financial

sources such as research grants and scholarships, crowdfunding, venture capital
and impact investing, philanthropic foundations and others to corroborate the
public or governmental finance of the sustainability STEAM education in the
continent for graduates employability and entrepreneurship.

O Government should consolidate Private-Public Partnership (PPP) to finance

sustainability STEAM education in schools which invariably will engender
graduates skills acquisition which invariably will heighten their employability and
entrepreneurship.
FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY STEAM EDUCATION FOR
EMPLOYABILITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AFRICA
Thanks for the rapt
attention.

20.O6.23