Building the future through STEM education: a catalyst for sustainable development and national revival of Ukraine

This section of the monograph highlights the role of STEM education in the context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and their impact on the national revival of Ukraine. Methods of integration of STEM education to help solve global challenges are analyzed. Thanks to a carefully planned research, conducted among teachers and future teachers of various specialties of Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, the work analyzed the different views of the interviewees on the key STEM skills necessary to achieve the SDGs and their practical application in real conditions. According to the results of the study, special attention was paid to the importance of technological skills and literacy, critical and problem-solving thinking, creativity, communication skills, as well as the ability for pedagogical innovations and interdisciplinary integration.

In addition, the chapter of the monograph emphasizes the decisive role of higher education institutions in promoting sustainable development through strengthening their social responsibility and partnership with other stakeholders. The research findings point to the need to update educational programs and teaching methods in accordance with the requirements of the modern world, with the aim of training future teachers of various specialties who are able to contribute to solving global challenges to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The author's team offers strategic recommendations regarding the integration of STEM education and the SDGs at the level of higher education institutions in order to train highly qualified specialists capable of contributing to the sustainable development of society in Ukraine and the world. The results of the study become especially relevant in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine and its post-war recovery, emphasizing the need for quick and balanced steps to adapt the educational system to modern challenges. Emphasizing the importance of STEM education for national revitalization and sustainable development, the research encourages discussions and practical actions among educators, scientists, state authorities, and representatives of business and industry. It becomes a call for the necessary changes in education, aimed at the formation of a new generation of specialists capable of offering solutions to society's problems by combining natural sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics, and contributing to the restoration of Ukraine as a strong, independent and innovative state.