MalayMail-May 22
Malaysia must start teaching STEM subjects in schools as early as possible to address the critical shortage of engineers and high-skilled labor in the country, several experts have said. Mas Sahidayana, the director of University of Malaya’s (UM) STEM Centre, emphasized that STEM skills need to be nurtured from preschool with the cooperation of parents, teachers, the government and learning institutions, or else Malaysia risks suffering from these labor shortages down the road. She said despite the efforts of various stakeholders, enrolment rates for Form 4 students in STEM A and B streams remain alarmingly low. In 2023, only 16.64 per cent (about 61,333 students) enrolled in the STEM A package, and just 5.43 per cent (about 20,014 students) chose the STEM B package. “This has led to a significant imbalance in higher education applications, with twice as many students opting for arts over sciences. “Meanwhile, there are at least 138 higher education programs offered by the Ministry of Higher Education that require SPM leavers to come from a STEM A background (122 out of 138 can accept SPM leavers from the STEM B package) and many more polytechnic and other programs that also require STEM A or B backgrounds. Malaysian Association of Engineers president Datuk Ts Feroz Hanif Mohamed Ahmad said even among those who enroll in engineering programs, the dropout rate can be high due to the rigorous nature of the coursework. The ageing workforce in engineering, coupled with rapid technological advancements and industry-specific demand in sectors like tech and renewable energy, is causing a skills gap. Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/05/22/experts-call-for-early-years-stem-education-to-address-critical-engineering-labour-shortage-in-malaysia/134795
