By Christine T
SERIAN, Oct 26: PETRONAS has donated 60 mobile Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) kits worth RM1.2 million to schools across Sarawak, prioritising rural and underserved communities in the distribution.
According to the press release, the kits, designed to support hands-on teaching and learning, will be coordinated and distributed by the Pertubuhan Aspirasi Guru Sarawak (PAGS) in collaboration with District Education Offices (PPD), with allocations determined by school density and needs.
Each kit contains 50 science models and instructional tools, including life-size human skeletons, electronic circuit kits, and other interactive learning apparatus aimed at making STEM subjects more engaging for pupils.
PETRONAS Sarawak general manager Norazibah M Rabu symbolically handed over the contribution to PAGS president Mutalib Kasim at Borneo Empurau Farm & Resort here today, witnessed by caretaker Minister for Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn.
Speaking at the event, Sagah said Sarawak aims to increase upper secondary students’ participation in the STEM stream to more than 60 per cent by 2030, from 36.37 per cent recorded among Form Four pupils this year.
He said early exposure to practical STEM learning was crucial to building pupils’ interest in science and technology, particularly in a geographically vast state where access to learning resources may vary.
“We want more pupils to have the opportunity to explore STEM, regardless of where they attend school,” he said.
Sagah added that bringing learning resources closer to pupils and teachers would expand access to education and provide fairer opportunities for children to discover their interests and abilities.
He said education must go beyond examination results by equipping pupils to think critically, experiment, solve problems, and apply their knowledge in real-life situations.
“An interest sparked by a single experiment, a Mathematics activity or a STEM experience may seem small today, but it could become the starting point for a child’s future educational choices and career,” Sagah said.
The mobile STEM kit programme is an education-focused initiative led by PAGS with support from the Ministry of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Sarawak.
Norazibah said access to hands-on STEM learning was essential to nurturing curiosity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills from an early age.
She said the initiative would help more schools, particularly those in rural and underserved communities, access practical learning tools and expressed hope that it would encourage more Sarawakian students to pursue STEM-related pathways.
The contribution reflects PETRONAS’ continued support for the Sarawak government’s aspirations under the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030, particularly in human capital development and innovation. — DayakDaily
