KUCHING: Sarawak is lagging behind in the number of students entering science classes.
Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Amar Michael Manyin Jawong said schools in the state could only achieve 23 percent of the target set for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) performance of 60 percent of students entering science classes.
“What is important is we want to raise awareness of STEM among students, especially those in rural areas and primary schools.
“If they are more aware of it, they’ll become more and more interested once they further their studies in IPGs (Teacher Training Institutes) and willing to take STEM subjects,” he said.
He said this after launching a book entitled ‘Model Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Industrial Revolution 4.0 Middle Phase’ at Batu Lintang Teacher Education Institute here yesterday.
Manyin pointed out that the high number of non-option teachers in the state was partly due to the specialisation training provided by IPGs.
He recalled that in the past, IPG graduates teaching in primary levels could teach any subjects contrary to the specialised training currently provided.
Thus, he urged the IPGs to revert from specialist to generalist training to enable their graduates to teach all subjects.
“They can actually change this from specialisation (training) to generalisation (training) so that those who teach in primary schools can teach any subject,” he explained.
Manyin asserted that this was especially important for Sarawak as it had many small schools.
“There are 651 schools with fewer than 150 students. That means more than half of our schools and they are mostly in the rural areas,” he said.
