KOTA SAMARAHAN: About 40 per cent of the total enrolment of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) students are studying in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field. UNIMAS’ Vice Chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi said that among the nine faculties available in UNIMAS, five faculties are related to STEM, namely Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
“40 per cent of more than 16,000 of our students are studying in the STEM field and we are always ready to increase the number of STEM students in UNIMAS because we want to help the state and country in achieving the agenda,” he said when met by reporters after attending the Inaugural Lecture entitled STEM for Sustainable Development by Professor Ir Dr Andrew Ragai Henry Rigit at Pusat Islam Tun Abang Salahuddin (PITAS) UNIMAS here yesterday.
Kadim added that UNIMAS would be announcing a new faculty related to STEM in September this year, namely the Faculty of Architecture which would offer two new programmes, Architecture and Quantity Surveying. “This will increase the enrolment of STEM students and now we already have the first cohort of 30 students in the Architecture programme that has just started.
“We will officially announce the establishment of the new faculty in September after the first cohort of Quantity Surveying programme,” he explained. On the ongoing election campaign, Kadim revealed that the university is not facing any problems or political issues in the campus at the moment. “According to the University and College Act 2012, political campaign or political activities are not allowed in the campus.
“But if its outside the campus, it is the students’ right,” he said, adding that the university students have been allowed to go for voting on polling day and could request to go back a day earlier for voting purposes.
Earlier on, Professor Ir Dr Andrew Ragai Henry Rigit from the Faculty of Engineering, UNIMAS delivered his Inaugural Lecture entitled STEM for Sustainable Development. He was adamant on the need to strengthen the STEM education to ensure sustainability in various aspects, be it in technological or social development. The inaugural lecture was also graced by the Minister for Education, Science and Technological Research, Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong.
