Laying the STEM foundation
IN a joint effort to address the declining interest among students in science and maths, the ExxonMobil Subsidiaries in Malaysia in collaboration with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) have introduced a training programme under the ExxonMobil-UKM STEM Club @ Terengganu initiative.
The training is for secondary schools with a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) background.
A proponent of STEM-centred educational programmes for students, ExxonMobil is widening its focus to support a more inclusive approach towards STEM education.
It believes that Malaysia’s global economic growth hinges upon highly-skilled teachers to encourage active learning from students and increase the quality of education.
This view is in line with the Education Ministry’s ongoing efforts to create a pipeline of trained teachers and specialists, as set out in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013 – 2025.
“As a champion of STEM-centric educational initiatives, ExxonMobil is incorporating teacher-focused programmes to bring renewed vigour to teaching STEM subjects. This will allow educators to deliver the syllabus more effectively and efficiently by equipping teachers with new abilities and teaching skills,” said ExxonMobil Subsidiaries in Malaysia Public and Government Affairs general manager Sukiman Mohamed.
“Teachers are a key driving force behind students’ academic performance, and they have the potential to create the STEM interest and excitement in pupils.
“We hope this initiative will increase the number of students in the science stream, as Malaysia looks towards achieving a STEMdriven economy in the near future,” he said.
The club’s objective is to develop a group of STEM master trainers with training modules developed by and delivered by UKM.
Participants comprise 64 secondary school teachers from eight districts in the state. Currently in its first phase, the trainees will undergo STEM Pedagogical Training, Building of STEM Content Knowledge in subjects such as Energy, Urban Infrastructure, Transportation, Wireless Communication, as well as developing a STEM Execution Strategic Planning for Terengganu.
By training teachers to become STEM master trainers, we are able to make STEM more appealing to students,” said UKM Faculty of Education Department of Innovation in Teaching and Learning senior lecturer Dr Mohamad Sattar Rasul.
The programme is self-sustaining as master trainers will continue to regenerate the programme and train forthcoming batches of trainees. It will lay a solid foundation for the future of STEM in Malaysia, he said.