By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, Jan 29 — Selangor has set the percentage of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in the state to reach 60 per cent by 2026, said Selangor State Education Department director Jafri Abu.
He said that last year, the state’s talent pool in STEM stood at 38 per cent.
“This year, we expect the percentage to reach 40 per cent and above.
“We are heading towards boosting the percentage of STEM students in Selangor to 60 per cent by 2026 and 40 per cent in other streams,” Jafri said.
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the #KitaSelangor Education Programme: Selangor State STEM Exploration Carnival 2023/2024 at Shah Alam Convention Centre today.
In October last year, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the enrolment of upper secondary students for STEM subjects has increased over the past two years, where the national rate grew from 40.95 per cent in 2021 to 45.73 per cent as of August.
Meanwhile, Jafri stated the state government remains dedicated to strengthening STEM subjects and has set aside RM1 million this year for that purpose.
In the 2024 Selangor Budget tabled in November last year, the state administration allocated RM2 million to empower science and innovation to reorganise the educational programmes in schools.
Elaborating on the event, he said such initiatives have produced many talented students who have successfully undertaken STEM-related projects on a global scale.
“The main purpose of the event is to develop STEM knowledge and applications which lead to problem-solving skills by using technology applicable to our daily lives,” Jafri added.
