Northern Region National Science Week Carnival Aims To Nurture Next-Gen STEM Talent

ALOR SETAR, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- The Northern Region National Science Week (MSN) 2025 Carnival is essential for igniting the younger generation's interest in the field of science, technology and innovation.

Kedah Industry and Investment, Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman Dr Haim Hilman Abdullah said the carnival, organised by the National Science Centre, encourages innovation from an early age, particularly at the school level.

"On behalf of the Kedah government, we fully support this programme and express our gratitude to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the National Science Centre for organising it.

"This is part of our efforts to nurture more young people to become experts in various scientific and technological fields, in line with national needs," he told Bernama after opening the carnival here today.

The three-day carnival, which kicked off today, is taking place at its Northern Regional Branch.

Haim Hilman said the organisation of the carnival aligns with the state government's plan to introduce the 1,000 Young Scientists Programme next year, which aims to increase youth interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

"The country requires at least 60 per cent of students to pursue STEM fields… Kedah will play an active role in helping the nation achieve this goal," he said.

MOSTI deputy secretary-general (Planning and Science Enculturation) Ruziah Shafei, in her speech at the event, said the MSN is a MOSTI initiative designed to bring Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) closer to the public.

She said to sustain the success and momentum of the MSN celebrations in 2025, MOSTI will continue to adopt a comprehensive grassroots approach, implementing physical activities in various locations across both Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia.

"So far, the MSN 2025 Carnival has been held in four regions, starting in Sarawak in May, followed by the Eastern Zone in June, Sabah in July, and the Southern Zone in September," she said.

"This carnival promotes a learning-through-play concept for families and has benefitted over 30,000 participants, including both local residents and the public", she also said.

She added that this year's MSN Carnival also honoured the winners of the 2025 National Remote Control (RC) Jet Competition, organised by the National Science Centre, which ran from Thursday to today.

The team from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Putrajaya Presint 9 (2) was crowned champion of the competition, which featured 45 teams from schools across the nation.

Team member Muhammad Danish Irsyad Roslan, 16, said he was surprised to win as it was his first competition against many talented and experienced participants.

"During training, we often made mistakes and struggled to control the RC aircraft properly, but our teacher's encouragement motivated us to keep trying until we succeeded," he said.

His teammate, Raja Hibah Mardhiyah Raja Ahmad Mukhlis, 16, said that winning had inspired her to participate in more competitions to further her interest in the STEM field.

-- BERNAMA