Interest in STEM education remains big issue to achieve developed nation status -- Mustapa

KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 (Bernama) -- Interest among students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is becoming scarce and remained a big issue for the country to be a developed nation.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said business, accounting and finance remained the top choice in higher learning institutions locally and abroad for Malaysian students but not STEM.

“We even saw some universities find it difficult to recruit students to fill their quotas in STEM. I applaud Petrosains which had played a significant role in fostering public interest by making learning STEM fun and interactive,” Mustapa said before witnessing the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between MyDigital Corporation and Petrosains Sdn Bhd today to mark their partnership to realise the vision and objectives of the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MDEB) and National Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Policy.

On the MoU, he said the key criterion for success for the MDEB and National 4IR Policy that was launched last year is the participation of the private sector.

“This partnership between MyDigital and Petrosains is the embodiment of the public-private partnerships that will drive and accelerate the agenda of both initiatives, especially when it will help with improving education and participation of the people.

“With more such partnerships in the pipeline by MyDigital, I am very optimistic that we can achieve our objective to become a regional leader in the digital economy and to achieve inclusive, responsible and sustainable socioeconomic development by 2030," he said.

Today’s event also saw the launch of MyDigital 4IR Experience Centre and MyDigital Maker Studio located at Petrosains, the Discovery Centre at Petronas Twin Tower.

The learning centres are equipped with interactive and tangible touch points for people to discover more about the impact of digital and 4IR technologies such as robotic, 3D printing, Internet of Things and Machine Learning.

Petrosains chief executive officer Ezarisma Azni Mohamad said Petrosains believed that successful learning approaches incorporate an experiential focus, with hands-on methods that directly utilise associated skills and knowledge.

“The intended goal is to build a future-ready workforce, namely with skills that can serve strategies to overcome future challenges, such as digital fluency, data literacy and agile ways of working.

“This serves a greater goal of upskilling a national workforce towards a stronger economy and progress for all, where no one is left behind.

“In this regard, we are proud and honoured to be able to play a part in the nation's vision to build a dynamic and agile digital economy. I am hopeful that we can help to inspire and create a new generation that can go on to make their mark in Malaysia’s new digital economy,” he added.

-- BERNAMA