STEAM Pakistan Joins Forces with LUMS to Make Maths Accessible to
School Children.
Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Education experts at a two-day workshop have
emphasized the need for providing an opportunity to students in public
sector schools to narrow their innate interest in maths and the
traditional learning environments as it would help in encouraging
their mathematical thinking, mainstreaming mathematics, and
collectively creating new knowledge.
The workshop on maths circles was organized at the Lahore University
of Management Sciences (LUMS) here on Friday.
The event was part of the STEAM Pakistan project led by the Ministry
of Federal Education and Professional Training in partnership with the
Malala Fund. This is the first effort of its kind in Pakistan to
mainstream maths circles among Pakistani school-going students.
Key speakers at the event included Founder of Math for Love, Mr. Dan
Finkle; Prof. Dr. Mayada Shahada from University of Bahrain, and Chair
of the Maths Department at LUMS Prof. Dr. Imran Anwar. Students and
faculty focal persons from STEAM Pakistan’s partner universities from
across Pakistan participated in the workshop.
In his opening remarks, Dr Imran Anwar, Chair of the Maths Department,
LUMS, said, “There continues to be a gap between a child’s innate
interest in maths and the extent to which traditional learning
environments provide them with an opportunity to explore this
fascinating subject. We hope to bridge this gap by mainstreaming the
practice of maths circles in government schools across Pakistan.”
Talking about the concept of maths circles, the organizers on the
occasion shared that they were essentially learning spaces that
engaged participants in mathematical enrichment activities. Such
spaces are aimed at encouraging mathematical thinking, mainstreaming
mathematics, and collectively creating new knowledge.
In her remarks, Head of Partnerships with the STEAM Pakistan project
Sana Kazmi said that Maths Circles are one of the core program
activities of STEAM Pakistan through which faculty members and
students of our partner universities will visit government schools to
attract children towards maths by introducing them to concepts and
problems through fun, relatable activities that they will learn as
part of this two-day workshop. “We are confident that our efforts will
inspire a generation of learners in Pakistan, especially young girls,
to approach maths with curiosity and love instead of fear,” she added.
According to Dr. Mayada Shahada, she understands that this was a
first-of-its-kind event in Pakistan and it will prove instrumental for
the evolution of maths learning in Pakistan and make greater space for
global linkages.
Highlighting the significance of STEAM Pakistan, Javed Malik,
Programme Director Malala Fund Pakistan, said that the STEAM Pakistan
is a collaborative project through which they are providing support to
the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training to advance
secondary school-aged girls’ access to science, technology,
engineering, arts, and mathematics education in Pakistan.
The STEAM model of education essentially adopts an integrated approach
to learning that propagates cross-disciplinary learning among students
and capacitates them from an early age to think critically, work
collaboratively, independently devise creative solutions and become
resilient problem solvers.
