KUALA LUMPUR: About 326,419 of the 556,556 diploma and bachelor’s students who entered public universities (IPTA) from 2023 to March 2026 pursued STEM fields, Parliament was told.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim said that based on data from the ministry's MyMOHES system, the remaining 230,137 students pursued non-STEM fields.
"These data show that IPTA continues to emphasise developing STEM talent in line with national priorities and future industry demands, particularly in high-technology sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, automation, digitalisation and green technology," he said during Question Time.
Adam Adli was responding to a question from Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail (PN-Kubang Pasu), who asked the Higher Education Ministry on the ratio of students entering IPTA and private higher education institutions (IPTS) in STEM and non-STEM fields, as well as the projected number of engineers required under the National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (DSTIN) 2021-2030 to meet industry demand.
Adam Adli said the DSTIN 2021-2030, under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, does not set human capital targets based on the absolute number of engineers by discipline.
He added the policy adopts a broader approach through the development of a comprehensive Researchers, Scientists, Engineers and Technologists (RSET) ecosystem.
"To support the growth of high-technology industries, the policy targets a ratio of 200 RSET personnel for every 10,000 workers by 2030.
"Based on this target and the projected national workforce of approximately 17.06 million people, Malaysia will require about 341,200 RSET professionals by 2030," he said.
He added that the ministry would continue strengthening the higher education ecosystem to ensure programme offerings, institutional capacity and talent development remain aligned with industry needs and the country's development aspirations.
Responding to a supplementary question from Onn Abu Bakar (PH-Batu Pahat) on efforts to increase the number of expert lecturers, research laboratories and high-tech facilities to support growing demand in AI, semiconductor and digital engineering programmes, Adam Adli said the ministry's current focus is on four universities under the Malaysian Technical University Network (MTUN).
