Dear Editor,
Permit me to laud the Guyanese school system on adopting the STEM Mathematics app in its school curriculum (Stabroek News, February 28). As a former educator, I can say that this is a move in the right direction, and if continued would augur well for the future of Guyanese youth, regardless of gender. The benefits of the STEM programme are borne out in the movie Hidden Figures, the story of how three African American women helped launch NASA astronauts into space and bring them back safely to Earth. Although set in the 1960s, an extremely significant decade in American history, it still carries a message that is relevant to the present-day educational system. It is much more than a feel good history film. The movie highlights not just the struggles of women in the NASA space programme, but also shows the value and application of their education, the importance of educational degrees, the importance of regular library contact to learn new things and apply them to real world situations, and the personal and individual responsibility to prepare for the future. This movie merits being seen and should be applied to the learning initiatives in all schools, to allow students to see why they need to be serious about their education and have a vision for success.
Girls will take away many lessons from the movie, especially how history was changed not merely by protests, but by going to school to gain advanced degrees, being familiar with the laws of the land, displaying proper elocution in the context of profanity, the relevance of family unity and support and the setting of goals to which everyone aspires. Another aspect of prime importance is to behave and act as if there is intelligence, cultural pride and self-respect.
Throughout the movie there are scenes where they work with many types of maths and integrated mathematical equations that sometimes have to be created, and following the recognition of their analytic abilities, the women were called computers. These achievements bear out the fact that girls and women have the skill sets and analytical abilities to function in complex and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) areas that demand creativity and innovation.
Hidden Figures also celebrates mathematics in a special way as an instrument for making the world better. What separates STEM from the traditional science and maths education is the blended learning environment and showing students how the scientific method can be applied to everyday life. Mathematics crosses gender and colour lines and can be utilized by anyone who chooses to learn its ways. Mathematics is the only true universal language, symbolic of the power of education, and is illustrated by the recurring motif of the chalk being handed from one person to another. An insufficiency of mathematical skill and understanding affects one’s ability to make critically important educational, life, and career decisions. STEM programmes that are being applied in the educational culture of schools are vitally important. Time will tell. The ‘Figures’ will no longer be ‘Hidden’. President Obama from very early in his administration made STEM education a top priority, as he believed every student deserved access to a high quality education in STEM for their future as well as the future of the nation. Taking a similar stand was the British government which said that if the UK was to remain a world leader in research and technology then a future generation that is passionate about, and skilled in STEM was needed. The application of the STEM programme in schools in Guyana will tell its own story in the future, but at least they are on the right road and headed in the right direction.
Yours faithfully,
Yvonne Sam
