Yayasan PETRONAS chief executive officer Shariah Nelly Francis (right) speaking at the closing of the Program Data Guru training.
KOTA KINABALU: Secondary school teachers from Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan participated in a three-day Program Duta Guru (PDG) regional training organised by Yayasan PETRONAS which ended on Saturday (March 4).
The programme was aimed at strengthening the capabilities of educators in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) nationwide and started on Thursday (March 2).
It ended in a bootcamp utilising the Engineering Design Process (EDP) methodology.
This involved the teachers participating in simulations that required them to come up with an innovation project to address students’, schools’ or communities’ pain points.
“Through EDP, these teachers undergo brainstorming, identifying problem statements as well as collaborating to develop learning prototypes,” said Yayasan PETRONAS chief executive officer Shariah Nelly Francis.
Speaking at the PDG Cohort 3 Regional Training’s closing ceremony, she said that the EDP is a required step for the participating teachers to design and complete a STEM innovation module.
“The PDG regional training, specifically the EDP bootcamp today, ensures our future Duta Guru possesses the knowledge and resources required to teach STEM subjects effectively," she said.
“It is also a key factor in ensuring that these educators can bring this experience to their students, schools and communities, and cultivate in-demand skills in a future that will significantly be powered by science and technology,” added Shariah
Powering Knowledge through PDG – a nationwide industry-linked programme to strengthen the capabilities of 4,500 STEM teachers serving schools with a majority of B40 students by 2030 – is a collaboration between Yayasan PETRONAS and the Education Ministry, through the Education Policy Planning and Research Division.
Since PDG’s launch in 2019, more than 250 teachers have been trained and upskilled in the two-year development programme.
