Event Detail

The two-day National Conference on STEM: Practices and Prospects in Assessment & Evaluation was organized on May 15 and 16, 2024, by the Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization, along with the Department of Education, in collaboration with the British Council. Its goal was to encourage new ideas and high-quality education in STEM subjects, such as Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics all over Pakistan.

Notable guests, including Dr. Arshad Saleem Bhatti, Rector of Virtual University of Pakistan, and Chief Guests Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar, Founding VC of National Skills University, Islamabad, Dr. Shahid Baig, Dean of Life Science at Health Science Academy, Islamabad and Dr. Muhammad Mohsin Javed, Dean of Faculty of Science and Technology, Dr. Fakhr ul Inam, Dean of  Faculty of Education and Director QEC, Prof. Dr. Ather Azim Khan, Registrar VUP, and Prof. Dr. Syed Habib Bukhari, Vice Chancellor Kohsar University, Murree, made it a remarkable day with their presence and active participation. Keynote speakers, Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Qazal Bash, advisor to the Ministry of IT, and Prof. Dr. Mahmood-ul-Hassan Butt, former Vice Chancellor of AIOU, Islamabad enlightened the guests with their speeches on the significance of STEM.

The Conference Chair, Dr. Faisal Tehseen Shah, and the Conference Secretary, Dr. Sumbal Tahir, administered the proceedings. The inaugural ceremony of the STEM Conference 2024 was held in the main auditorium of COMSTEC, Islamabad. There were presentations by the researchers on research papers that explored various aspects of STEM education, demonstrating the newest developments and research discoveries in the field.  Additionally, the conference included various competitive events such as the Best Paper, Best Poster, and an All-Pakistan Competition, offering participants an opportunity to present their work and creative ideas in STEM education. Cash prizes were presented to the winners of the Best Paper and Best Poster contests. The Best Paper winners were Ms. Tehmina Kalwar, who secured 1^st position with a cash prize of Rs. 20,000/-, Dr. Muhammad Zaheer, who achieved 2^nd position with a cash prize of Rs.15,000/-, and Ms. Saba Munir, who won 3^rd position with a cash prize of Rs.10,000/-. In the Best Poster category, the winners were Ms. Sadaf Choudhary, securing 1^st position with a cash prize of Rs.20,000/-, Ms. Esha Khan, attaining 2^nd position with a cash prize of Rs.15,000/-, and Dr. Sidra Abbas, achieving 3^rd position with a cash prize of Rs.10,000/-.

The plenary session on "Technology Integrated STEM Education: Striving for Efficacy and Quality" was one of the lime-lighted scholastic sessions of the conference.  It featured two distinguished keynote speakers: Prof. Dr. Muhammad Sarwar, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Islamic International University, Islamabad, (on-site keynote speech), and Dr. Aisha Mahmood, Assistant Professor, University of Education, Township, Lahore (online keynote speech). Furthermore, three guest speakers —Dr. Asma Shahid Kazi, Associate Professor, LCWU, Dr. Wajiha Shahid, Head of the Department of Education, NUML Islamabad, and Dr. Azher Majeed Qureshi, Associate Professor, AIOU Islamabad —shared their views on the potential of integrated STEM education to transform learning, focusing on careful, strategic implementation and ongoing research to maximize its effectiveness. The event concluded with the presentation of souvenirs to the Chief Guest, keynote speakers, and certificates to the conference organizers, team members and ushers.