KOTA BHARU, Dec 14 — To achieve developed nation status, Malaysia must ensure that 70 per cent of employment opportunities are in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), said secretary of the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Enculturation and Services Division of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Abdullah Daud.
He said that this required Mosti to play an active role in empowering the STEM field at all levels of society, particularly among the younger generation.
“To become a developed nation, we need to ensure that seven out of 10 jobs are dominated by or based on STEM, particularly in the fields of engineering, architecture and science,” he told Bernama after officiating the 2025 STI Madani Carnival at UTC Kelantan here today.
Abdullah said that in line with this goal, Mosti was carrying out various initiatives to cultivate STEM among the community,including rolling out the STI Madani Carnival nationwide, even in rural areas.
He said that this year’s implementation of the STI programme was conducted according to parliamentary constituencies to ensure comprehensive exposure to the STEM field for the target groups, leaving no one behind and extending beyond urban areas.
Abdullah said that the ministry had also appointed researchers from Universiti Malaya to collect data on students’ tendencies and interests in the STEM field through the implementation of the STI programme.
“This group of researchers has issued an interim report, which found that several states are still lagging behind in terms of interest and tendencies in STEM, including Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said. — Bernama
