STEM partners from the region visit the HSZG for the cluster conference
Around twenty stakeholders from the STEM sector (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, technology) from the districts of Görlitz and Bautzen met at the end of October in the "Celsiuz" co-creation lab at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG), including leading representatives from the Saxon State Ministry of Culture (SMK). The HSZG and the Technology and Start-up Center Bautzen (TGZ), which work together as part of the MINOS (MINTmachRegion Ostsachsen) project and the ZukLOS (Zukunftslernort Oberlausitz) strategic initiative, invited participants to exchange ideas and network.
In his opening remarks, the Rector of the HSZG, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch, emphasized the importance of STEM education in and out of school for young people in the region - and for its future viability. He then presented the HSZG's Airstream caravan, which has been converted into a STEM laboratory on wheels, which the guests were later able to visit to gain an impression. This "mobile learning location" was officially inaugurated and opened on October 2, 2024 as part of the matriculation ceremony. In future, it will make it possible to bring STEM courses directly to local children and young people in the two rural districts of Bautzen and Görlitz.
Saskia Schnasse from the Saxon State Ministry of Culture (SMK) reported on the MINT Hub project. This is an initiative of the Free State of Saxony in cooperation with companies and educational institutions that offers educational projects at schools. Modular courses for teachers and pupils as well as the training of career changers to become learning guides are intended to enable schools in the region to prepare young people for the challenges of the future.
Matthias Böhme, Head of Division at the SMK, presented the Saxon education strategy "Bildungsland 2030" and explained the goals set by politicians and education partners with regard to the modernization of the education system. Some of the priorities to be implemented in Saxon schools by 2030 include interdisciplinary teaching, adapting the curriculum, more flexible structures in terms of time, all-day lessons and the development of the e-campus for further training.
Prof. Dr. Sophia Keil, Vice-Rector for Education and International Affairs at the HSZG, presented the strategic direction of the Future Learning Location Upper Lusatia (ZukLOS). She described the central fields of action aimed at further developing the STEM offerings in the region and creating attractive teaching/learning and meeting places for people of all generations, especially young people.
Many other questions, such as the international orientation of STEM initiatives in the three-country region or the concrete interlinking of school and extracurricular STEM education, were discussed during the conference. The participants agreed that it is also essential for structural change in the region to involve young people. It is therefore crucial that as many children and young people as possible benefit from the broad STEM landscape and the committed initiatives in Upper Lusatia in order to get them excited about the important STEM topics.
