ARAU: Getting 70% of students in fully residential schools choosing the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) stream will help achieve the target of producing 60,000 engineers needed by industries, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic).
The Deputy Prime Minister said students focusing on this field will have the opportunity to further their studies at universities under the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN) if they achieve good results.
“We have emphasised this to fully residential schools. We want 70% of their students to focus on STEM,” he told reporters after a working visit to Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) yesterday.
Also present were UniMAP vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Zaliman Sauli and Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) chief executive Mohamad Haris Kader Sultan.
On Wednesday, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim proposed that 70% of students in fully residential schools opt for the STEM stream starting next year to strengthen expertise in these critical fields.
The Prime Minister said there is an urgent need to boost student participation in STEM this year, given its significance in national development.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also the national technical and vocational education and training (TVET) council chairman said that UniMAP, which has a TVET centre, is at the forefront of efforts to produce the 60,000 engineers required in the job market.
He said an allocation of RM1mil has been approved for UniMAP.
