ComBank to establish smart STEM classes in 100 schools as centenary year project
Smart classrooms that focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are to be established in 100 schools across Sri Lanka in 2020, with the backing of the Commercial Bank of Ceylon to commemorate the centenary of the country’s top private bank.
Drawing synergies from several ongoing education- centered initiatives supported by the bank, this project ventures to transform orthodox educational institutions to STEM centres, using digital learning content developed for the ‘Sipnena’ online education website also funded by the bank, thereby giving the project its name:the ‘100 Sipnena Smart STEM Schools’ initiative, a media release from the bank said.
Classrooms in the selected schools are to be provided with a computer and a multimedia projector. The computer will have access to offline digital content that consists of interactive lessons, presentations, diagrams and illustrated material, specifically developed to create a different learning experience for school children, making understanding and learning the subject matter more effective.
The classrooms will be renovated, furnished and equipped by the bank which will also sponsor the training of teachers for these Smart Classrooms. Personnel from ‘Sasnaka Sansadaya' – an independent group of university lecturers and students-, will be deployed to train teachers on making optimum use of the Sipnenadigitised educational content. These teachers will be recognised as ' Smart STEM Teachers’ on completion of the training.
The STEM classrooms will be initially used by Grade 10 and 11 students but will cater to students from Grades one to GCE Ordinary Level later on, the bank said.
Phase two of the project will include introducing other educational initiatives supported by the bank such as Coding Clubs, Math Labs, CISCO hardware courses, and vocational training support, depending on the individual success, progress, performance and commitment of each school. The organising of inter-school ICT competitions and granting of higher education scholarships to top performers to study at recognised universities such as SLIIT, NSBM and ESOFT too are in the pipeline for the second phase.
To date, 23 STEM schools have been established by the bank, starting with the Walisingha Harischandra School in Mulleriyawa, Angoda.
Commenting on this pro j e c t , Commercial Bank Managing Director S. Renganathan said: “We envision a Sri Lanka with students well- versed in IT helping shape the knowledge economy in the digital age. The STEM subjects are crucial for higher education and increase the employability of students. With this, the bank hopes to help reduce the number of students that drop out of the formal education system after Ordinary and Advanced level examinations and to create more Hardware Technicians, Network
Engineers, Software Engineers, Software Developers, Computer Repair persons and the like with lucrative and diverse career options.”