DALAT: Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah is confident that the struggle to attract students in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) will not stop until any time. And the challenges now need to be faced by all parties.
She added that her experience as a school principal in the past in fighting for the STEM subject until now will continue.
So she said the increase in the number of students entering the science stream should be the main stick and indirectly students need to know their directions in the future.
“It is still a struggle that is not over and our goal is to see more students take this STEM stream subject, because we know this is a challenge for us to attract students.
“If we want to attract their interest, they must be made to understand the subject, and must know the relevance of the subject and its relevance to real life.
“If they see this subject as relevant for their future lives, they will make efforts on all these STEM subjects; hopefully our efforts will be achieved,” she said at the Launching Ceremony of the Drone Technology Programme in Facilitating Teaching and Learning in Secondary Sarawak schools at SMK Dalat yesterday.
In fact, she is proud of the success of SMK Dalat residents in various competitions involving drone technology over the past few years and should be emulated and it is the result of strong collaboration with the Teacher Education Institution (IPG) Batu Lintang and Tabung Ekonomi Gagasan Anak Sarawak (TEGAS).
“This can be proven through the participation of innovation competitions at the international level in the Virtual Innovation Competition 2021 which has won a bronze medal through cooperation between schools and communities around Dalat through the use of drones in producing interesting teaching and learning videos.
“Besides that, SMK Dalat has got the 4th place at the national level in 2021 in the Technology and Innovation competition in 21st Century learning.
“In the latest episode SMK Dalat won 4 awards, namely Innovation Champion, 1 silver and 2 bronze at the international level in the Malaysia Invention and Innovation Expo 2021 innovation competition through innovation projects produced by students themselves with the commitment of teachers,” she explained.
Through the successful results of the collaboration, Fatimah hopes that the school community can utilise the stem knowledge learned to collaborate with the community in becoming a facilitator, especially in helping the establishment of the Second Melanau Heritage Gallery in Dalat now.
In the meantime, Fatimah also believes that the introduction of all potential job opportunities through STEM subjects should be disclosed and shared so that students know their direction in the future and indirectly they can give back to the community.
