Parents must encourage primary school kids to love science and maths

Students should be encouraged to pursue a STEM career while they are of primary school age, according to 50% of STEM professionals responding to a survey by MathWorks, which was intended to reveal reasons behind the UK skill shortage.

When asked to consider their own experiences; 40% said they were inspired to love the subjects by their families and 19 per cent knew they wanted to follow a STEM profession by the time they were 10 years old. 46% had made the decision by 16.

38% believe schools aren’t producing people with the STEM skills that society needs, even though half said that the teaching STEM-related subjects has improved since they were in school.

On the question of who should do the encouraging, most respondents agreed that the emphasis for turning out future STEM professionals shouldn’t be placed on educators alone and that families and the industry should take on a greater responsibility. A third of those surveyed claimed school encouragement wasn’t important in their decision to enter into their chosen occupation, and 60% fostered their own love of STEM outside of the classroom (see science museum below).

63% said STEM employers should host a school visit, and 56 per cent believe STEM employers should be funding projects at schools.

To get these figures, 170 STEM professionals were surveyed during MatLab Expo UK in October.

This survey coincides with the scheduled opening (8th Dec) of the Winton Gallery (pictured) at the London Science Museum, dedicated to how maths shaped the last 400 years, and partly sponsored by both MathWorks and Sumsung.

“The Winton Gallery shows how mathematics underpins every part of our lives,” said MathWorks manager Chris Hayhurst. “This is our chance to bring maths theory to life for students, showing them how it has helped shape the world they live in, and engaging them in the subject in the long-term.”