Reform or face the wrath of parents as voters
Malaysia is getting something right by having the highest percentage of graduates from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in tertiary education in the world. Astonishing, and a pleasant discovery indeed. According to a report compiled by Unesco Institute for Statistics on the percentage of graduates by field of education, Malaysia produced 43.5% graduates in STEM in 2022 from a list of 47 selected countries. This percentage is higher than other top-performing countries in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022, namely Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Estonia, Canada and Germany. However, the Unesco data qualifies that there is no data collected for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, but mentions that China produces 4.7 million STEM graduates a year.
Malaysia’s high percentage of STEM graduates does seem to align with the 60:40 science to arts ratio that our education policy has been pursuing. We seem to have the quantity but are we producing enough quality and skilled STEM talents that we are vying for? We could do better by ensuring that our STEM education in school continues to be progressive and achieve the level of excellence comparable to the top-performing countries in the PISA test.
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We need to put in more effort to expand and improve on the current successful STEM teaching, such as the Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) and the Dual Language Programme (DLP). It is rather an oxymoron that we strive to promote higher-order thinking, creative, problem solving and critical skills, but implement rote learning and rigid marking scheme methods. Forcing parents and their children to accept a non-DLP class when clearly they have chosen DLP is an act of oppression. There have been cases brought to our attention that Form 1 students are assigned to non-DLP classes in secondary school after having gone through six years of DLP in primary school. The reason given was that the DLP classes are full or that schools do not have the resources. Despite the evidence that DLP is in demand, fulfilling parental choice and due consideration for the learning child is sorely lacking.
It is imperative that DLP be given the priority it deserves and not be reduced in the number of classes. The programme has been running for eight years, since 2016, and prior to that, the policy of PPSMI (teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English) was running from 2003 until 2020. Not having enough resources to cater for the growing demand for DLP, after having implemented this policy and programme for more than 20 years, is completely unacceptable. No one is arguing about the importance of Bahasa Malaysia (BM); yes, we must uphold it! But how can taking away DLP be the solution? Teaching BM better and ensuring a good curriculum are.
On the one hand, a part of the government is putting a high priority into the development of the STEM workforce, especially to cater for the demand of the influx of the electrical and electronics (E&E) industry. But on the other hand, another part is undermining the advantage of DLP to cater for this purpose.
Parents are voters! Eleven million people representing 52% of voters in Malaysia are within the ages of 30 to 60, likely to be parents with school-going children, including pre-schoolers and those in tertiary education. Voters who voted for the Madani government have been optimistically yearning for better governance and, in the case of parents, better education for their children. Now, many are feeling disenfranchised and expressed disillusionment and would likely refrain from voting in the next election. While many understand the consequences this action will bring, the alternative to govern would be no different than the current one. The protest vote is real if this government fails to listen to us parents, the voters.
There is much to be made in economic gain instead of being embroiled in petty politics and an insular agenda. It would clearly be a big loss if we keep deviating from the path that would lead us to better prospects.
Malaysia is attracting more investor interest to build semiconductor plants, especially in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER). Penang has gained five decades of experience, and prides itself as a hub for the semiconductor and E&E supply chain.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also announced that the NCER will be developed into a world-class economic and technological hub focusing on three industries — advance service, high-value manufacturing and modern farming. NCER is poised to attract investments of RM367.8 billion by 2030. Last year, E&E products were the top export for the country, at 40% of total exports, with semiconductor and integrated circuits bringing in RM387.45 billion. China, South Korea and Taiwan are expanding their high-tech business at a rapid rate by setting up new plants overseas, with Malaysia and the Kulim Hi-Tech Park (KHTP) as their preferred locations. With more technology firms from the US and Europe coming to KHTP, the NCER is fast becoming one of the biggest semiconductor hubs in Southeast Asia and the East as firms diversify from China.
The growth potential in this industry is huge. The government needs to put words into action. Reform our STEM education to capitalise on the growing need of talent pool for the E&E industry. The time is now to walk a path towards producing a high-income nation. If not, face the wrath of parents who are voters and only want a brighter future for their children.
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