STEM vs soft sciences

It is a worldwide trend now as the concept of knowledge-based economy gains currency to concentrate on the investment in and augmentation of STEM subjects. STEM is the acronym for Science Technology, Engineering and Math and is a broad umbrella for all the exact sciences.

There has been a general despair in academic circles across borders that students coming out of elementary, middle and high schools of UK, US and other countries around the world are increasingly opting for arts, languages, music, forensic sciences, sports science, business and marketing at the college which fall in the category of liberal arts or soft sciences. Even those students opting for a course in engineering or technology at the university have inferior math skills or are simply struggling when the subject becomes more complex.

The world needs smart and alert students who can be the right fit in the burgeoning sectors of renewable energy, oil and gas, construction, and real estate, finance, IT, medicine technology, health, and the like. However, academics and industry experts express anxiety that the workforce being created is not really the right fit for it.

In the UAE, of the 43,000 students enrolled in higher education, only 30 per cent are in the field of STEM of related fields. In UK, a country which is ranked sixth highest in engineering and related fields, there is a requirement of 2.4 million workers in STEM-related industries in the forthcoming year.

Owing to the obvious shortfalls projected, students around the globe are scrambling to get on the STEM bandwagon which also marks an overcorrection that is likely to cause imbalance in the coming generations.

Those who are wary of this unnecessary emphasis on STEM feel that although there is a need to streamline our needs for STEM, the world does not really need assembly-line professionals who are mechanical robots or cyber zombies. Soft sciences teach students some important life skills of being intuitive, analytical, creative and empathetic. All these qualities are required for the long-term well-being of the human race.

So laying undue emphasis on either of the two streams might be counterproductive. What we need is an optimum balance. Can we achieve that?

Education spoke to leading academicians and stakeholders in the field to understand the many facets to this argument.

UAE needs emphasis on STEM to forge ahead

Dr Ayoub Kazim, managing director of Dubai International Aacdemic City (DIAC) and Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV), is absolutely positive that it is important to focus on STEM for the future prospects of UAE’s economy. “This year, according the World Economic Forum, the UAE is ranked no 19 in the list of 144 countries for being an innovation driven economy. It has moved several notches above from being ranked No. 24. The UAE is categorized as one of the innovation driven economy, which consist of business sophistication (UAE has excelled in this area) and R&D, which is primarily focused on STEM areas rather than soft areas. Unfortunately, UAE, which contributed in less than 1% of its GDP towards research, still has a long way to go on the R&D side particularly in science and technology. Developed nations such as the US, UK and now South Korea have always depended on the pure science and technology areas, which somehow drive their economies.

“As an example of challenges faced in Dubai and the UAE, only 25 per cent of Emiratis in Dubai are engaged in knowledge economy (basically STEM areas), fields the country is in dire need of Emiratis participating in it in order to strongly position itself as an innovation-driven economy.”

A synergistic bond between the arts and sciences

A month ago, the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) had held an international conference on the Future of Education in the UAE. Professor Howard Alper, distinguished professor of chemistry at the University of Ottawa and the Chair of the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) in Canada who attended this seminar, spoke exclusively to Education in the need to strike a balance and how both STEM and soft sciences were equally important in the development of an individual. A love for sciences can be instilled by making learning more creative, he believes.

“The arts and sciences are synergistic, and provide enormous breadth, broad perspectives, teach a value system which benefits the person throughout her or his career, and beyond. I have always composed research papers in a manner that the reader appreciates not only the hard science outcomes, but the soft science text and verse adds great value. Parents and educators have a responsibility to inculcate integrity, flexibilty, and appreciation of creativity whether it be in science, the arts, or other. They owe it to their children, to themselves, and to building an even more successful society for their nation.

Children in the latter part of primary school, and in secondary (high) school do need to be educated so that they are knowledgeable about science-related issues. Inquiry-based science education is the best methodology to achieve this goal - i.e., learning by doing rather than learning by memory, although memory is important.

”Concurrent with such an approach to education is exposure of students to other areas such as creative writing, literature, poetry, languages, and history. As a high school student, I spent much time writing country/western, and rock, lyrics and music, and played guitar in a band. I was at best, an average high school student who also learned science and math. When I started university, I pursued a two-track strategy taking courses in the arts, and in chemistry, biology, physics, etc. In the middle of second year, I made the decision to go into chemistry, but at the same time, always pursued the creative arts, writing poetry which, for example, appeared in the undergraduate newspaper.”

Academics must include STEM and liberal arts

Cody Paris, a senior lecturer and programme coordinator for social sciences at the Middle Sex University, Dubai, feels strongly that students need to be exposed to both streams to be able to make sense of the complex world they live in.

“In an increasingly interrelated and complex world, it is important for educational institutions to provide environments for students to gain the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in their career trajectories and to be lifelong learners. The current debate between the emphasis on STEM and liberal arts education should not be an either/or conversation. Students need to be exposed to both.

“I strongly agree that STEM education needs to be advanced in order to support scientific discovery and technological innovation. However, it is also important that students’ training in STEM be complemented by the development of their capacities for creativity, cross-cultural understanding, critical thinking, leadership, and analytical skills are also nurtured. The wide range of social science and humanities provide opportunities for this. For example, Apple would not be the technological force that it is today without the visionary leadership of Steve Jobs, who studied the arts and humanities at university. Liberal arts education also provides students with the ability to write and communicate their ideas, which is important for all productive members of society.

On the other hand, it is also imperative for students in liberal arts programs to be mathematically and technologically literate in order to be competitive in the contemporary job market. Instead of focusing on tailoring academic programs towards the currents of the job market, academic institutions should be focused on producing well-rounded students with a variety of experiences, skills, and knowledge that are able to understand and navigate the world’s economic, social, political, cultural, and technological systems.