'It goes without saying that Malaysians need to work together, from those in power to the individuals who are on the ground trying to bring about real changes in science, technology and innovation (STI) at all levels of society. Our STI culture used to be strong, so was our STI standing, in South-East Asia at least. But clearly, our South-East Asian neighbours are moving faster and creating new STI ‘things’ in the process. Where are our plans for initiatives and projects in higher education, for example? Why are funds still very limited for educational content creators and those who are trying to push the limits of STI education from primary and secondary to tertiary level? So much more needs to be done. The time is now. There needs to be a major STI discourse and that should be the main direction for Malaysia if we are truly intent on creating a knowledge-based society and if we are to ensure an equitable, high-income economy across gender, ethnicity and urban-rural geographical divides."
Universiti Teknologi Mara Centre for Innovative Delivery and Learning Development fellow Dr Airil Haimi Mohd Adnan
