More girls following technical or scientific tracks

The report indicates that the government’s Stem action plan is beginning to show results. The plan, set to run until 2020, encourages youngsters through a variety of events and activities, to consider studies in one of the Stem disciplines. Girls make up a vast minority of pupils in these studies and are therefore a specific target group.

It is hoped that more secondary students will continue the studies in higher education and eventually help fill Flanders’ bottleneck jobs in engineering and technical functions.

In the school year 2015-2016, girls made up 30% of the pupils following a Stem study in the final two years of secondary school, an increase on the 27.4% of five years earlier. The government’s goal is to reach a percentage of 33.3% by 2020.

While there is a good balance between boys and girls in the Stem tracks of general education (ASO), the large majority of these students in technical (TSO) and professional (BSO) education is still overwhelmingly male.

“Through the modernisation of the secondary education, we are making a clear choice to improve Stem as a strong study area,” she said. Together with Muyters, Crevits will soon launch a website listing all activities that promote Stem studies, both inside and outside of school.

Photo: Sarah Levantine/Flickr