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Manyin (right) closely watching a student demonstrating an invention during the event. Photo: Ghazali Bujang

CREATIVE CHILDREN

BY NUR SHAZREENA ALI & SARAH HAFIZAH CHANDRA

KUCHING: Old ways of teaching and learning do not work anymore, said Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawong.

A former teacher himself, Manyin stressed that memorisation and regurgitation when sitting for examinations can no longer be applied.

“Nurturing children to be creative and innovative must start from primary school. We need to change our education system, the way we teach. We should let them fail so that they will become a person who are willing to take risks and not afraid of failure,” he said when officiating at the closing ceremony of the State-Level National Science Week 2020 at Chemsain Building here today.

He pointed out that while the Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) was already ahead throughout the globe, Sarawak was still far behind with declining interest in STEM field among students.

“Despite of our education ministry’s target to achieve at least 60 percent student enrolment in the science stream, the total number of students enrolled in the science stream in Sarawak continues to drop – less than 25 percent,” he said.

He further lamented on the slow progress in developing learning infrastructure and facilities in rural areas which indirectly contributed to the shrinking of student interest in the STEM field.

“Upgrading works on dilapidated schools in rural areas need to be competed urgently.

“They need to learn Science subjects such as Physic, Chemistry and Biology in the lab so that they can experience in experiments which will help them to think,” he pointed out.

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