MALAYSIA needs to transform into a country that creates, owns and masters technology, as it is now at a crucial point of development, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said that this was necessary because the country could not forever be a user of technology created by others.
He said, science education cannot stop at memorising formulas and achieving exam results, but rather it must form a way of thinking that is critical of facts, open to ideas, daring to try and honest when attempts fail.
"The issues of food security, energy supply, public health, water safety, climate change and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) demand solid knowledge and the courage to make evidence-based decisions.
"But every challenge is also an opportunity to create something better. All big solutions start with small problems," he said.
He said this in a speech read by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Datuk Chang Lih Kang, in conjunction with the Final Stage of the YAB Prime Minister's Cup National Science Challenge today.
He said that student enrolment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) increased from 40.95 per cent in 2021 to 50.83 per cent in 2024.
“However, participation in pure science is still around 15.8 per cent, thus showing that there is still a gap between interest in STEM and students' willingness to delve into it.
“Our task is not just to encourage more students to choose STEM. We must ensure that they continue to survive, grow and succeed in these fields,” he said.
Anwar said that the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti), the Malaysian Academy of Sciences (ASM) and the Ministry of Education as well as strategic partners must make the NSC a continuous talent development pathway.
He said that potential participants, especially from rural areas, Sabah and Sarawak as well as low-income families, must continue to be connected to mentors, laboratories, scholarships and innovation networks.
“Talent is everywhere. Our responsibility is to ensure that opportunities are also everywhere.
"We want the ideas born in schools today to develop into research, technology, innovation and enterprises that are capable of solving the real problems of the people and raising Malaysia's competitiveness at the global level," he said. – September 7, 2026
