An early exposure to science and mathematics to primary school students is critical in developing their interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) subjects.
Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research YB Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong said that by inculcating an interest in STEM subjects will help students in facing the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“We believe that exposure at primary school level is the one that we really need to put emphasise on,” said YB Dato Sri Michael Manyin during a press conference at the Sarawak Zone STEM Education Colloquium in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) on April 3rd.
“For science and mathematics, you cannot start at secondary school level. You must start at the formative years. If you do not develop the interest at early stage, it will be harder once you get to secondary school,” he added.
As of now, Sarawak has 19 per cent students who are qualified to pursue science stream at secondary school level, which is very low against the nation’s target of having 60 per cent students pursuing science stream.
Apart from that, YB Dato Michael Manyin said that the ministry is also in the process of engaging retired English, Mathematics and Science teachers to become facilitators to currents teachers of the same subjects in their respective districts. This is among the effort by the ministry to increase the interest of students in the STEM field.
Under the RM1 billion allocation budget for the schools in Sarawak, YB Dato Michael Manyin added that each school should have a laboratory prepared for the students. By having the necessary facilities prepared, the students who are the formative age will have an exposure on laboratory thus heightening their experience to develop an interest within the STEM education.
