Education Ministry, NIHERST, Shell provide STREAM school kits to 11 schools

In a joint initiative, the National Institute of Higher Education, Research Science and Technology (NIHERST), Shell TT and the Ministry of Education handed out 11 STREAM school kits, valued at $220,000, to 11 schools.

The ceremony, held in the National Library of Trinidad and Tobago's audiovisual room, was chaired by Karen Ross, a librarian at the NIHERST. Ross said the STREAM (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) project aims to bolster the nation's talent pool and promote economic diversification by nurturing critical thinking, problem-solving and competence within the education system.

The kits are intended to enhance the availability of classroom resources.

Ross also said the kits aligned with the Ministry of Education's objective of "fostering 21st-century skills, self-directed learning in both teachers and students and the development of students' behavioural, emotional, and cognitive abilities."

Natasha Skinner-Rocke, deputy chairman at NIHERST, spoke directly to the students, saying, "These kits that are handed to you are unlocking a world of endless possibilities.

"Each one of these kits is another success story waiting to be written, another idea to be tested, another experiment waiting to be conducted."

Skinner-Rocke described the kits as catalysts for change, designed to ignite a passion for science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.

She said, "I hope for a future where intellect reigns supreme and every dream is attainable. These kits make you (students) explorers and researchers, you hold the keys to the world."

Shell TT social performance and social investment advisor Ryssa Brathwaite emphasised that providing schools with the necessary resources was important.

"If we provide schools with the resources they need to empower young people, we are fuelling the next generation of scientists, innovators, and engineers, not just to support the work being done in the energy sector but TT as a whole."

After the ceremony, Marc Fernandez, a teacher at Blanchisseuse Secondary School, expressed his gratitude to all stakeholders involved in the STREAM kit initiative.

He said "A lot of the time we attend workshops, they tell you what to do in the classroom, but this initiative gave us a hands-on approach. They sent us to workshops and provided resources. At Blanchisseuse Secondary School, there are a lot of students who are hands-on learners and these kits are structured around this type of learning, which would really help with their retention in the classroom."

Sheldon Sabga, a student from Guayaguayare Secondary School, said, "I hope this will go viral on social media and students will see it have other things you can do instead of fighting."

A representative of NIHERST at the event said the kits included 100 devices and apparatus. Among the displayed devices were computer circuit boards, digital multimeters, air quality sensors, a wind energy education kit, and a geometric building set.