The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has officially unveiled the UNESCO International Institute for STEM Education (IISTEM) in east China's Shanghai. This marks UNESCO's 10th Category 1 Institute worldwide and its first in the Asia-Pacific region.
As a Category 1 Institute, IISTEM is institutionally integrated into UNESCO's programs and budget. Over the next decade, it aims to reshape how students engage with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. By combining data-driven research with hands-on learning, the institute will foster creativity, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving skills.
IISTEM's roadmap includes organizing collaborative international research projects, building policy dialogue platforms, and rolling out targeted training programs. Early projections suggest these initiatives could reach over 50 countries and regions, impacting millions of learners through new interdisciplinary curricula and open-access resources.
The institute will also play a key role in supporting the Chinese mainland's drive to strengthen its education system. By sharing successful models of STEM teaching and learning from local classrooms, Shanghai's new hub will help inform global STEM governance and promote inclusive, high-quality education for a new generation of innovators.
'IISTEM is a game-changer for global STEM education,' says a UNESCO spokesperson. 'Our goal is to build a network of educators, policymakers, and researchers who can co-create solutions to the world's biggest challenges.'
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
