Perspectives of 'STEM education and policies' for the development of a skilled workforce in Australia and India

In an increasingly competitive world, invention, development, and profusion of new technologies through science and technology are the fundamental source of economic progress. Australia, is one of the world leaders in education and India has the capacity to produce the highest number of young skilled manpower to lead the world. Both countries understand the current situation and have signalled their commitment to restoring a national strategy for STEM education. The study focuses on a comparative understanding of the interplay of inclusive policies, governments’ initiatives, knowledge gap and potential future challenges that Australia and India could face in STEM education at the school level. The question we asked is: What are the important inferences and best practices in STEM education that can be mutually beneficial to broaden a Strategic Partnership? The governments of both the countries are determined to utilise the young population for a skilled workforce in order to meet the future demand of industries. Australia’s constructivist approach to education and the well-defined system of vocational training outperform India, which is still following the traditional approach. However, Australia has failed to engage students adequately in STEM and needs to revisit the efficacy of the current education model, while India needs to adopt the well-defined Australian framework, which could help to enhance quality infrastructure, curriculum, constructivist teaching, and transparent policy implementation. In addition, both nations must work hard to attract high performing students in the teaching profession in order to promote a conducive environment for scientific learning