Over 326,000 IPTA Students Pursued STEM Fields Between 2023 And March 2026 - Dewan Rakyat Told

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Bernama) -- A total of 326,419 out of 556,556 diploma and first degree students who entered public institutions of higher learning (IPTA) for the period 2023 to March 2026 pursued studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education Adam Adli Abd Halim said that based on data from the ministry’s MyMOHES system, the remaining 230,137 students pursued non-STEM fields.

“These statistics show that IPTA continues to place a strong emphasis on developing STEM talent in line with national priorities and future industry demands, particularly in high-technology sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, automation, digitalisation and green technology,” he said during Question Time.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN–Kubang Pasu), who sought details on the ratio of students entering IPTA and private higher education institutions (IPTS) in STEM and non-STEM fields, as well as the projected number of engineers required under the National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (DSTIN) 2021–2030 to meet industry demand.

Adam Adli explained that the DSTIN 2021–2030, under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, does not set human capital targets based on the absolute number of engineers by discipline.

Instead, he said the policy adopts a broader approach through the development of a comprehensive Researchers, Scientists, Engineers and Technologists (RSET) ecosystem.

“To support the growth of high-technology industries, the policy targets a ratio of 200 RSET personnel for every 10,000 workers by 2030.

“Based on this target and the projected national workforce of approximately 17.06 million people, Malaysia will require about 341,200 RSET professionals by 2030,” he said.

He added that the ministry would continue strengthening the higher education ecosystem to ensure programme offerings, institutional capacity and talent development remain aligned with industry needs and the country’s development aspirations.

Responding to a supplementary question from Onn Abu Bakar (PH–Batu Pahat) on efforts to increase the number of expert lecturers, research laboratories and high-tech facilities to support growing demand in AI, semiconductor and digital engineering programmes, Adam Adli said the ministry’s current focus is on four universities under the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN).

-- BERNAMA