High-quality STEM education is critical for Australia’s current and future productivity. Young Australians engaged in STEM learning and studying STEM subjects in schools will support a pipeline of individuals with STEM skills for the future.
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In support of this, the 2025-26 Budget announced $7.0 million to continue the delivery into 2025-26 of the following initiatives:
- $2.15 million for the Australian Academy of Science programs: Primary Connections, Science by Doing and reSolve, to enhance teachers confidence and capability in teaching mathematics and science.
- $1.15 million for the CSIRO STEM Professionals in Schools program, which partners teachers with STEM professionals to enhance STEM teaching practices and deliver engaging STEM education in Australian schools.
- $1.46 million for the Let’s Count program, delivered by The Smith Family, to help develop the early numeracy skills of disadvantaged children.
- $0.65 million for the Little Scientists program, delivered by FROEBEL Australia, to help early learning educators to build their skills and confidence in STEM, so that they can lead fun and inquiry-based learning.
- $0.7 million for the Curious Minds program to deliver STEM camps and mentoring for female students in Years 8, 9 and 10, empowering girls to pursue STEM subjects in Years 11 and 12 and pursue STEM careers.
- $0.9 million for the National Lending Library, delivered by the University of Adelaide, which enables teachers and schools to borrow, for free, a selection of digital technologies educational equipment, and associated lesson plans for different age groups, aligned with the Australian Curriculum.
This funding is in addition to previous funding announced in the 2020-21 Budget, over 2020-21 to 2024-25:
- $9.6 million to extend and evaluate the Primary Connections, Science by Doing and reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry programs.
- $5.7 million to undertake and evaluate the Foundation to Year Two expansion of the Early Learning STEM Australia (ELSA) program to improve STEM literacy and numeracy in Australian schools.
- $4.8 million to extend and evaluate the STEM Professionals in Schools program.
- $4.4 million to extend and evaluate the Let’s Count program.
- $2.8 million to extend and evaluate the Little Scientists program.
The Government has also provided:
- More than $11 million to strengthen the capacity of teachers across Australia to teach mathematics and numeracy through online professional development courses for teachers of Foundation to Year 10 students, supported by face-to-face professional learning, and a repository of teaching and learning resources through an online Mathematics Hub, over 2019-20 to 2024-25.
- The 2024-25 Budget announced an additional $34.6 million over four years to continue delivery of several teacher resource hubs, including the Mathematics Hub and the Digital Technologies Hub, through the Teacher Resource Hubs measure.
- $2.7 million for the extension and expansion of Curious Minds (STEM Summer Schools for Girls) over 2020-21 to 2024-25.
- funding to further support and extend existing initiatives, the Digital Technologies Hub and the National Lending Library.
More information on these measures is at School and Early Learning STEM initiatives.
Program evaluations have occurred on several early learning and schooling programs. To find out more, visit STEM program evaluations in the early years and schooling.