BY JACQUELINE DAVID
KUCHING: The total number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students in Sarawak is still far behind other states.
They only accounted for 34.68 per cent in 2023, said State Education Department (JPNS) Science and Mathematics Unit senior assistant director, Helmi Saini.
He said even though the 60/40 policy has long been introduced, the state is still far from the target of 60 per cent of students choosing STEM packages.
STEM education is the agenda emphasised in the implementation of the Malaysian Education Development Plan (2013-2025).
Several policies support this agenda including the 60 per cent Science policy and 40 per cent Arts policy.
“Thus, various activities and programmes have been designed and implemented to increase the interest in students’ performance in STEM subjects from pre-school, primary school to secondary school,” he said.
“On top of that, there are also programmes to enhance professionalism and potential of STEM teachers by organising workshops and training.
“This year, we have also implemented some initiatives and cooperation, collaborating with various agencies, and these are still continuing.
“All these efforts and initiatives are done, in the hope that the percentage of enrolment of students in STEM in the upper level will continue to increase in line with Sarawak’s aspirations as a developed region by 2030,” he said.
During the two-day (May 18-19) inaugural event organised by the Institute of Teacher Education Batu Lintang Campus and JPNS in collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), a total of 328 students from four schools in the Stampin parliamentary area, participated in the workshop.
The schools involved were SMK Batu Kawa, SMK Jalan Arang, SMK Sg Tapang, and SMK Datuk Patinggi Abdul Gapor.
Meanwhile, Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen said as Sarawak moves forward, the state needs many talents in STEM and hoped that students will take up STEM programmes to help develop the country and the state.
“Malaysia needs talent in STEM which is a very important aspect, not only in education, and earning a living, and we hope the young people, do consider taking up STEM, and this is where our country needs the talent, moving forward with technology.
“Throughout the history of humankind, when society really progresses, there is a quantum leap in society.
“When people started to invent the steam engine the productivity increased, people’s livelihood improved a lot, then came other machines, computers, internet, and that’s when we were embarking on IR, and now, there is another aspect of technology advancement, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is upon us,” he said at the closing ceremony.
Also present were STEM workshop programme coordinator Ravi Gopal and representatives from JPNS and Education Officers from Padawan, Kuching, and Kota Samarahan.
