Throughout the world, STEM Education is seen as essential for global economic competition and social creativity. There is a close fit between the nations with leading and dynamic economies, and the nations with the strongest performing education and/or research science systems. STEM economic policy agenda is largely driven by the need to lift the general quality of the supply of human capital as well as enlarge the high-skill group capable in research, commercial innovation and effective response to technological change. STEM qualifications – in general science in all countries, and in engineering in some countries – prepare graduates for a broad range of occupations, including management. STEM plays a generic vocational role as well as enabling entry to specific occupations (ACOLA, 2013). In comparison to other countries worldwide, South Africa has, for many years, languished at the bottom of the list when it comes to the performance of school learners in Science and Mathematics (De Beer, 2015). South Africa intends to increase the number of learners taking Mathematics and Science through large investments in MST subject with the aim of increasing scarce skills in the technical field which can help reduce unemployment. All provinces in South Africa have been given the freedom to choose their implementation strategy. The Gauteng province developed a strategic plan to drive learner outcomes through Transformation, Modernisation and Re-industrialisation by implementing STEM programs that are sponsored by industries that specialize in skills and knowledge assigned to the school in 35 identified schools through the Reorganization of Schools (RoS) in schools of specialization (SoS). Seven projects are included in the SoS schools according to the available sponsor-located within or near the community in the field of that specialisation. One of the aims of STEM programs in the STEM focused SoS schools is to offer practical learning, thereby enhancing problem and project based learning. In this paper, the researchers sought to understand how the intervention programs for the nuclear schools of specialization (NSOS) which was launched in 2019 in two schools, had impacted on the learners and teacher perceptions about this initiative. A qualitative research method was used to collect and analyze data on the progress, relevance through onsite visit, interviews with Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) coordinators, school principals, STEM teachers and learners.

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