The administration also needs to increase the number of competent science and maths teachers to arrest the nationwide decline in pupils taking up science, technology, engineering and maths subjects.
Educationists and academics added that a greater awareness of the benefits of STEM and TVET-based education needs to be promoted among parents and pupils so that they see a future in pursuing this stream.
These proposals are among those shared with the administration as it tries to arrest the decline of pupils pursuing the science stream, which now stands at about 6,000 a year.
The decline has occurred despite the vast resources and efforts by the former Barisan Nasional government over the past 30 years to reach the 60:40 science to arts pupil ratio in schools.
“Much of the improvements we can make are about human resources and human capital. Like how to upgrade teacher competency and helping them impart lessons better in class,” said STEM educator Ramesh Pillai.
“Because teachers can make or break a student. If they don’t teach their subjects well, no one in the class will be interested in learning them,” said Ramesh who runs non-profit STEM learning centre, STEM4All Makerspace.
Ramesh told The Malaysian Insight that it was not even a question of funding as previous administrations have spent hundreds of millions to push STEM in schools.
For instance in 2017, the government spent RM570 million to repair 120 schools and to upgrade 1,800 science laboratories, according to the 2017 science outlook published by the Academy of Sciences.
“The money is there but if you don’t spend it right, in the right areas, then it goes to waste.”
Extra skills
Acting Education Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he wants more time in schools to be spent on STEM subjects and English as too much time is being allocated to religious classes.
Experts told The Malaysian Insight that the low enrolment in STEM is because of several inter-related reasons, including:
* School principals and teachers who dissuade pupils from taking up science and additional maths for fear that bad grades will pull down the school’s overall exam scores.
* Parents who also want their children to take “easier” subjects so as to improve their chances of getting as many As, thus increasing their chances of getting scholarships.
Ramesh admits that science and additional maths can be challenging to teach and that they require truly competent teachers.
“Besides making sure teachers are competent, they should be given assistants in class to help with paperwork. These assistants could be trainee teachers,” said Ramesh.
“This will free up the actual teachers to teach and coach pupils because science subjects are hard.”
Another idea is to bring back more lab work for science pupils so that they get a hands-on experience to apply what they learned, said academic Prof Dr Halimaton Hamdan of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
Starting in the early 2000s, science subjects that were once taught in laboratories, such as chemistry and physics, were moved out to regular classrooms, said Halimaton one of the researchers who authored the ASM in 2017 science outlook.
“So pupils and teachers would learn science through the textbook instead of practising the theories in a lab,” she said.
Parents must also be confident in their children’s interest in a science-based career and its benefits, said Ramesh.
“It isn’t just about whether your child was to be an engineer or a doctor. Other science careers pay well and you can branch out to many specialties.”
The rigorous training that science subjects require will also make pupils better analysts and problem-solvers, which are critical skills in the workplace.
“Even if you have a science degree, you can still go into business. But unlike your typical business graduate, you will be a businessperson with extra skills and knowledge.” – February 17, 2020.
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