2,400 for first STEAM academy

It is anticipated that 2,400 students will be enrolled in Jamaica's first Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Academy, when it is completed.

National Mathematics Coordinator in the Ministry of Education and Youth, Dr Tamika Benjamin, made the announcement at the 64th meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, on Wednesday. She said the academy's establishment is part of efforts to increase the number of students participating in these disciplines, to increase the level of innovation and critical thinking required for current and new careers in the digital age.

She noted that this project to develop Jamaica's first STEAM Academy is central to the continuing transformation of the education system to make it "fit for purpose for the 21st century society".

"To meet any one part of, or all of the aims and objectives of STEAM Education, there must be educated and trainable people who can adapt to the changing environment and its requirements," Benjamin said.

Among the general objectives of the STEAM School project are increasing student access to quality secondary-school places; improving systems and capacity to successfully implement STEAM programmes; and improving the management of school plants, human and capital resources. Land has been marked for the construction of the STEAM Academy, in Dunbeholden, St Catherine. The institution will be part of the Greater Bernard Lodge Development and will be erected on the 22 acres of land reserved for social services.