PETALING JAYA: Johor will have to work with the federal government to ensure the success of its plan for selected schools to focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), an educationist said.
Association of Science, Technology and Innovation president Yunus Yasin said Malaysia’s education system is centralised under the education ministry, unlike in the US where each state, and every district within a state, can introduce its own syllabus.
For Johor’s plan to be of benefit at a macro level, the education ministry may need to re-examine how the system is structured and consider decentralising it, he told FMT.
He also pointed out that Johor might encounter problems trying to scale up the programme, saying that the undertaking is likely to be costly.
On July 27, Johor mentri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the state government planned to have two schools each at the primary and secondary levels focus on STEM subjects and English.
He said the pilot programme, which will serve to advance the state’s education system, will be launched next year.
Yunus said the state government will also have to ensure that there are enough capable teachers.
Each time a policy changes, we forget the most important element in these changes, the teachers: whether they are trained, capable or motivated, he said.
If they want to make this work, they will have to work closely with the Institute of Teacher Education, he added.
Parent Action Group for Education chairman Noor Azimah Rahim said Johor can expect to produce innovators, inventors, creators and professionals at the schools selected for the pilot programme.
This will help generate a highly skilled workforce, she told FMT.
Azimah said the students will also learn to hone their critical thinking skills to tackle STEM subjects, with an added benefit of having a firm command of English.
This means that when they graduate, they will have the edge in job marketability and lead in scientific and engineering advancements, she said.
She said those who do well in STEM subjects will eventually lead in mechanisation, engineering, digital and scientific advancements.
“It will make the country less dependent on highly skilled foreign labour, thus lowering production cost.
Since we are a trading nation, we will also need to excel in English, she added.
