THE Penang government has been consistently promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education over the years through various initiatives to address the declining interest in STEM learning among the students in the state.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said this is proven by the implementation of the Penang STEM initiative, which is a platform that brings together six centres that collaborate with the state Education Department.
“Penang STEM is made up of the Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC), Penang Science Cluster, Tech Dome Penang, @CAT, Penang Math Platform and Penang Digital Library.
“The objective is to spark students’ interest in STEM learning, particularly at the lower secondary levels.
“These centres also have been conducting many STEM workshops, programmes and activities within their centres to cultivate, nurture and excite students in the field of science and technology.
“The six centres combined also have more than 250 STEM-related programmes, and each has been well received and successful in its own way,” Chow said during his speech at the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony at Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) (Penang branch campus) today.
According to Chow, the participation of youth in STEM activities will lay the groundwork for a more robust digital economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0).
“However, not enough of the younger generation have sufficient awareness and access to quality STEM education.
“Thus, we would like to see opportunities available through various initiatives carried out by the state government, not only to the urban youth, but also to rural youth and those who have been neglected or left behind.
“It is our hope that by 2030, talents will be abundant, and no manufacturing firms will face obstacles in talent recruitment,” he said.
Chow also added that only 31.8% or 4.91 million employed persons in Malaysia are tertiary educated as of 2021, according to the data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM).
“One reason for this is students’ declining interest in STEM education.
“This is a major concern for the entire country, not just Penang, in terms of the quality talent pool.
“Thus, to retain and attract investors, we must produce graduates who are skilled and competent enough to meet the industry’s demands.
“As such, I would like to take this opportunity to also encourage more industry players to collaborate and support the state’s STEM initiatives to help cultivate an industry-ready talent pool as we move forward.
“After all, your support is critical in realising the Penang2030 vision of ‘A Family-Focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation’,” he said.
Earlier, Chow was there to witness the MoU signing ceremony between the TAR UMT (Penang branch campus) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Maritime Southeast Asia, Singapore Corporate Services (SCS), Cortex Robotics, NationGate Solution, PingSpace, Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology Centre (CREST) and Persatuan Kebajikan 88 Captains.
Those who participated in the MoU signing ceremony were TAR UMT president Prof Dr Lee Sze Wei, ACCA Maritime Southeast Asia portfolio head Andrew Lim, SCS managing director Alan Chang, Cortex Robotics general manager Chee Yuh Sheang, NationGate Solution chief operating officer Lee Kim San, PingSpace chief executive officer Diken Chuah, CREST chief executive officer Jaffri Ibrahim and Persatuan Kebajikan 88 Captains chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ooi Eng Hock.
Dr Lee said the MoU signals the beginning of cooperation between TAR UMT and all the industry partners.
“This ceremony underlines our common and fundamental objective, that of pursuing a holistic approach in academia as well as the sharing of the best industry practices.
“I am sure this collaboration will further develop into a rewarding relationship that will contribute in a significant way,” she said.
Chow said he is pleased to see so many industry players working together with the education sector to develop and train young talents, who will eventually contribute to Penang and Malaysia as a whole.
“I am especially pleased that the MoU today between TAR UMT and the respective industrial partners, aims to foster an ecosystem for industry-academia linkage so that they can collaborate to develop industry-ready talent through various academic activities.
“This, in turn, will enhance the student skills and knowledge through skill enhancement modules, guest lectures, workshops, or webinars, while they offer flexible work placement or structured internship programmes.
“And this indeed will contribute greatly to the state’s ongoing efforts to build a healthy ecosystem in which the people and economy of Penang can thrive and flourish,” Chow added.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Alissala Thian
Video by Law Suun Ting