By Muhammad Soban Islamabad, Feb 24, (INP-WealthPK) Rapid development of science, technology and the global economy has made STEM (Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education a crucial strategy and approach for cultivating the students’ abilities to innovate scientifically and technologically as well as to reform the education and teaching systems. The Government of Pakistan initiated Pakistan’s first STEM program in October last year. The program has been launched under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOS&T) to make the Pakistani youth internationally competitive by providing international standard education to contribute to the country’s economic growth. According to Minister for Science and Technology Senator Shibli Faraz, STEM program is a new chapter, opening a new era of progress in the country’s growth. According to Shibli, the program would help produce graduates in the field of science and technology. The program has three aspects — labs, teacher training, and STEM modules. The pilot program is open to students from grades 9 to 12. The students are selected on the basis of their abilities and talent. The program will be further expanded and a cluster of these schools will be connected to universities. The program is a pilot project and the target is 50 government-run schools. It could lead to more expertise in the STEM fields by enabling students from all socioeconomic backgrounds to participate. Global research indicates that expertise in these fields can be critical for a country's economic prosperity. Pakistan produces a much smaller number of graduates in the field of science and technology compared to the neighboring countries. It ranks 99th position out of 132 countries in the global innovation index, while China ranks 12th and India 46^th. According to Statista, China produces 4.7 million graduates a year in STEM fields, India 2.6m, and Pakistan a negligible number of graduates. There are around 180 universities accredited by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). In order to provide international standards of education to the Pakistani youth, it is imperative that the higher education sector provide quality teaching that meets the employment demands of the 21st century. It is necessary to expand the numbers, which means larger classes with a broader range of prior knowledge, aptitude, and experience. In addition, the industry is looking for graduates with critical thinking and problem-solving abilities; they want graduates to be creative, flexible, and entrepreneurial. Such skills do not develop through didactic teaching methods. Higher education needs to develop academic strategies to support the delivery of better-quality education to an increasing number of students. It is necessary to expand STEM initiatives across the country to produce graduates well-equipped with industry-specific knowledge and skills. These graduates would be able to contribute to science and technology, creating an environment of innovation in Pakistan. However, there are some major hurdles associated with STEM that need to be addressed soon. These hurdles include infrastructure, class size, strategic and surface learning, student transitions, differentiated learning, developing practical skills, curriculum design, outcome-based education, employability, technology-enhanced learning.