Jena is revolutionizing MINT education: New funding for clubs!

Jena is revolutionizing MINT education: New funding for clubs!

A lot is happening in MINT education in Jena: At its last meeting, the city council revised the strategy for the areas of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. These new plans concern both content and financial adjustments to the funding, which will benefit numerous clubs, it is reported JenaTV.

Initiatives such as witelo e.V. and Imaginata e.V., which are already making important contributions to the MINT education landscape in Jena, are particularly supported. The city also presented the background to the changes together with these clubs. Dr. Christina Walther from witelo found that MINT education offers an excellent opportunity to reach more children and young people.

Network meeting on MINT education

The network meeting recently held in the historic town hall brought together around 50 stakeholders in MINT education. Organized by witelo e.V. and the city's education department, numerous ideas were discussed here. Among other things, the connection of MINT content with art offerings was discussed, which opens up an exciting perspective to increase young people's interest in these areas.

Head of Education Johannes Schleußner welcomed the participants and emphasized the variety of ideas and initiatives that are being implemented in the city. The Jena city council had already adopted a MINT strategy in 2016, which has now been updated. The focus is not only on education itself, but also on its connection to culture and even the tourism sector.

Innovative MINT offers

The new MINT offerings also include the trailer workshop at Stadtwerke Jena Netze GmbH. Imaginata is also celebrating 30 years as a place of learning and is focusing on developments in the areas of sustainability and renewable energies. At the Ernst Abbe University, a technology group encourages tinkering and experimentation among students.

In addition, the MINT action program of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research attempts to promote MINT skills across all levels of education. Particularly important are the topics of securing skilled workers and opportunities for participation, which also take social challenges such as climate change and digitalization into account BMBF explained.

In order to make MINT funding comprehensive, Action Plan 2.0 advocates new initiatives in areas such as cooperation, quality and research. Particularly noteworthy is the increased attention to the integration of women into MINT professions in order to counteract the underrepresentation problem.

With over 70 partners in the network and numerous extracurricular learning opportunities, Jena will play a pioneering role in MINT education in the coming years. The commitment of the local clubs and the city will certainly open up many new perspectives for young talents.