Firm gets RM3.8m deal to supply schools Lego robotics sets
Published on: Thursday, February 23, 2017
Kuala Lumpur: Textbook publisher Sasbadi Holdings Bhd aims to gain from the higher government spending on Science, technology engineering and Mathematics (STEM).It secured a contract worth RM3.85 mil last October from the Ministry of Education to supply Lego Education robotics sets to primary and secondary schools for the expansion of the robotics programme. The company had delivered the items at the end of last year. ADVERTISEMENT Despite the small contract value, Sa&oadi group managing director Law King Hui sees the award as a positive move by the government in promoting STEM education. "This is the future of the business. It is in the infancy stage but over time it will be significant. Whether there will be more contracts in the near future is anyone's guess, we cannot jump the gun," Law says. Sasbadi still very much relies on the traditional print and publishing business, which contributes 80-85pc of total revenue. Revenue grew at 5.3pc year-on-year to RM92.69 mil in FY16 from RM87.95 mil in the previous year. ADVERTISEMENT Profit rose 8.28pc to RM17.09 mil from RM15.78 mil. This is not the first job Sasbadi won to supply Lego Education robotics sets to the government.
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It received a RMIO mil contract as far back as 2006 to supply similar products to hundreds of primary and secondary schools. "The government is laying the foundation at school level towards ensuring that Malaysia has sufficient number of qualified STEM graduates to fulfil the employment needs of different industries in the economy," Law says. For the country to remain relevant, he says the government must increase spending in STEM-related areas and make sure the education is accessible to all students. The applied learning division has al partnered the University of Malaya (UM) to add value to the Lego Education solutions. Law hopes this collaboration will help unleash the potential and value of robotics learning in STEM education. Sasbadi entered into a memorandum of agreement with UM on Dec 2 last year. The 10-year collaboration encompasses syllabus development, accreditation for students and teachers, workbook devel-opment and conducting workshops for students and teachers. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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The objective of the collaboration is promote and groom students' Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) through STEM learning. HOTS involves the learning of complex judgmental skills such as critical thinking, logical thinking and problem solving. By working with UM, Law hopes students will be able to integrate the knowledge they gain in Lego Education to academic subjects taught in the classroom.