KOTA SAMARAHAN: A special committee to boost STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education will be established this year.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said plans are in motion to form a Special STEM committee to address a decline in the number of high school graduates entering STEM fields at the university level.
He asserted that the establishment of the joint committee is scheduled to occur this year, with groundwork and preparations already underway.
“Preparations for the establishment of the committee have been ongoing for the past few months, with formal discussions on the timeline expected to occur at the ministry level.
“Subsequently, meetings will be convened to engage all relevant ministries. While concrete targets have yet to be set, they will be developed after the committee is formally constituted,” he told reporters after officiating at the state-level National Science Week (MSN) Carnival 2023 and Sarawak Zone Malaysia Techlympics 2023 at DeTAR Putra, UNIMAS today.
The committee will collaborate closely with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) and Human Resources Ministry (MOHR).
The initiative, he said, is being viewed as a cross-ministry concern, requiring seamless cooperation between different governmental bodies.
Meanwhile, Chang commended the success of the event and lauded the Sarawak government’s commendable efforts, pointing out that the tripled participation of Sarawak students in MSN and Techlympic is a promising sign.
“From a total of 20,319 participants in 2022, this year’s event boasted an impressive turnout of 63,589 participants from Sarawak.
“In the foreseeable future, I believe the Sarawak government is on track to realise its aspiration of reaching 60 per cent of STEM students.
“From the perspective of the federal government, we stand ready to provide support,” he assured.
Also present were the Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn and Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry secretary general Datuk Dr Aminuddin Hassim.
