GEORGE TOWN – Penang is aggressively promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to lower secondary students with help from state skills enhancement agencies.
This is with the hope that such agencies can nurture students’ interest in STEM, said Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy.
“Such subjects enhance analytical skills. They can be entertaining and inspiring. We need to inculcate such messaging to the young: not to be afraid of them, and that they are definitely not boring.”
State agencies Penang Science Cluster, Tech Dome Penang, Penang Maths Platform and the Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) will devote resources in schools, especially now that Penang is no longer an opposition state.
Ramasamy said the state agencies must make the learning of STEM enjoyable and apply innovative techniques to arouse the interests among the young, while parents can also inspire their children to take up the subjects for the sake of future employment.
There is a grave need to produce as many workers with STEM skills as possible in view of the state’s importance as a hub for hi-tech manufacturing.
Ramasamy told a press conference at the Kuil Ayira Vaisar Sri Meenakshi Sundraesvarar yesterday that the state will launch a new talent development initiative called STEM Future-Proofing with a pilot programme to begin by next month.
Also present were Penang STEM Sdn Bhd general manager Richard Chung Chok Yin, PSDC chief executive officer Tan Eng Tong and Tech Dome chief executive officer Khoo Boo Wooi.
This initiative is aimed at offering two years of extra-curricular foundation learning to Form Four students to pursue future academic studies and careers in Computer Science and Engineering.
Meanwhile, Tan said the state not only needs engineers but technicians, as for every one engineer in a production hub, there is a need for many technicians.
He added that PSDC is now undertaking a study to determine what skills are needed by the manufacturers in the state, particularly in the field of electrical and electronics. – The Vibes, May 7, 2023
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