How to elevate STEM education in Asia, according to Big Bang Academy’s Sarah Tong

The startup founder says that while some governments have devoted substantial resources to STEM education, the interests of students and parents in its courses or scientific subjects have not grown drastically. This is because the public may not see the innovation and technology industry as promising or lucrative as others in the future.

“To many parents and teachers, education is a way to land a rewarding job in the future,” Tong says. “Everyone needs to know the economy is betting on [the innovation and technology sector] and it is just so important. It takes years and years to build an ecosystem like this.” 

It would help, too, if governments had a stake and concrete economic development plans that prioritised these industries. For example, Singapore positions itself as an innovative startup hub and makes adequate investments in this area. Graduates, thus, are more confident about landing a job after studying STEM courses and related disciplines.

It’s a story similar to that of South Korea. The country is one of the largest semiconductor producers in the world. It is also home to multiple leading telecommunications and electronics companies, such as Samsung and LG. 

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According to Tong’s experience introducing programmes to the local schools, the teachers tend to allocate more time and resources to subjects that would be tested and less to STEM, which is not covered in the exams.

In Hong Kong, for example, the Education Bureau sets a guideline for the curriculum teachers must teach in one school year. “If students just study for the sake of getting a high score on tests or exams, schools would have difficulty promoting STEM education,” she says.

Tong also emphasises the importance of school leaders being trained in STEM education, as they play a crucial role in determining the use of government funding and, consequently, student learning outcomes. “The schools think they have the mandate to introduce it after receiving the money, but they don’t know how.” 

Given the rapid evolution of technology and how the industry’s focus has been shifting almost yearly, she emphasises the need for ongoing training. “We used to talk a lot about the metaverse and cryptocurrency; now, it’s AI and robotics.”

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In Tong’s school, 30 to 40 per cent of students are female, a number she aims to continue increasing. A trend she noticed is that parents in Hong Kong typically prefer to sign up their boys for classes due to their narrow interpretation of children’s interests.

For instance, caregivers tend to think male children are more interested in STEM simply because they like to play with toy cars. For female kids, the bar is different: even if their daughters show interest in simple mechanical tasks such as assembling things, parents tend to be more reluctant to sign them up for STEM education, especially if they have also shown interest in the arts, such as dancing or playing the piano.

This gendered attitude has remained largely the same even though a new and progressed concept, STEAM, has been introduced. Educators are now encouraged to cover the arts on top of the original four disciplines, to develop students’ artistic abilities and soft skills like communication. 

“There is often a gender bias. Parents think that females are not as strong in logical thinking, which is a complete bias, so they don’t open the door for their daughter,” Tong says.

Tong’s team takes the initiative to explain to the parents that STEAM is not just about robots and that there is a broad range of topics like sustainability and marine biology that their children could be interested in.

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Tong believes that AI will disrupt education in three main ways. Firstly, through personalisation: a teacher can provide individual mentorship tailored to each student’s strengths and weaknesses, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach for the whole class.

She also anticipates an increase in experiential learning and gamification. For example, by wearing a virtual reality headset, children can witness what dinosaurs were like millions of years ago or take a “walk” inside a human heart. 

Tong thinks the growing adoption and popularity of STEAM education is crucial, especially with the rise of AI and its potential to transform various industries. “Whatever that you’re doing, you need AI. To exist in this world, you need the skills to be a problem solver and be superior to a robot and AI.” 

She is eager to witness the success of more homegrown technology companies and believes these founders can inspire children and attract more talent to the field, fostering a new generation of innovators.

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