STEM Enrolment Rises Following Initiatives To Spark Interest

SUNGAI PETANI, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Student enrolment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) exceeded 50 per cent last year, highlighting the effectiveness of initiatives to spark interest in the field, said Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang.

He said student participation in the programmes has been encouraging, including those from rural areas and the Orang Asli community.

“…enrolment in the science stream is still relatively low compared to demand, so it is important to start (cultivating interest) from an early age.

“We aim to boost the number of students taking up STEM,” he told reporters after launching the Malaysia Techlympics 2025 for the Northern Zone, here today.

He said that while STEM enrolment rose last year, it is still insufficient to meet the growing demand from the country’s expanding technology-driven investments.

Chang said efforts and programmes to spark student interest in science and technology will continue to be intensified in line with the target of increasing STEM enrolment to 60 per cent.

“For instance, the Malaysia Techlympics has consistently drawn an average of nearly 1.4 million participants a year, and for 2025, it has already recorded 1.7 million.

“This is an encouraging achievement, in line with the MADANI Government’s goal of attracting more young people to pursue STEM,” he said.

He also emphasised that his ministry is dedicated to bridging the gap between urban and rural students in accessing and experiencing STEM opportunities.

In a separate development, Chang said the government has yet to decide on using nuclear energy for electricity generation and will only consider it after 2030, adding that a comprehensive study is currently underway by MyPOWER Corporation, an agency under the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation.

-- BERNAMA