Giving Compass' Take:

· Anita Krishnamurthi at Wellcome addresses inequity in traditional STEM education and what needs to be done to tackle the barriers limiting inclusion. 

· What factors have contributed to inequity in STEM education? How can these barriers be broken down? What can donors do to support equity in STEM education? 

· Check out the five suggestions for how to build equity in learning and cultivate an inclusive ‘maker education.'


In an increasingly STEM-dependent world, we want all young people to be able to engage with science – both inside and outside of school.

Time has flown since I joined Wellcome as Head of Education and Learning earlier this year.

It has been a privilege to join an amazing team of passionate, dedicated professionals, and an organisation with the will and resources to tackle big challenges, both in the UK and globally.

As millions of young people head back to school, I am pondering how we can truly prepare all of them with the skills they will need for the world they are heading into.

Our team is currently two-thirds of the way through a five-year strategy that focuses on supporting educators as the crucial lever to bring about systemic change. Our work strives to improve primary science teaching, supports teachers’ professional development, and helps youth workers to provide more opportunities for informal science learning in their communities. This is all underpinned by our research and policy work. We’re excited about what we’ve achieved so far and energised about where we're headed.

However, we recognise that the road to improving science education is long and the learning gap between richer and poorer students has not changed in decades. Almost every country is grappling with this issue and to me, equitable access to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) sits at the intersection of education, economics and social justice.

In an increasingly STEM-dependent world, it’s essential that all young people see science as something they can engage with, both inside and outside of school. They need to have opportunities to be STEM-literate and proficient, to help them make informed choices as citizens and participate in the modern global economy. But too often, large groups of people are left without these tools with lasting consequences for themselves, their communities and society.

Read the full article about improving equity in science education by Anita Krishnamurthi at Wellcome.