Perak: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is an important stream in Malaysia education which can contribute to Malaysia becoming a developed country. In addition, STEM was introduced in 2001 which is to prepare students to expand the existing workforce of scientists and engineers.
However, enrolment of secondary students in STEM subjects is already raising alarms in Malaysia education. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said the declining interest in STEM fields despite 14,000 students scoring straight A’s in their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) 2024, raised concerns about the availability of human resources in the country’s future health sector (Teoh, 2025). Referring to the recent data from the Ministry of Education (MoE) stated that 51% of students enrolled in STEM stream in 2024 but it still haven’t reached the governments’ target of 60% students are registered in STEM subjects.
One of the major factors is that students are not interested in pursuing STEM subjects because they lack of motivation and always expound that the STEM subjects are difficult to understand and resulting in lower scores. Students who anticipate such failure may believe that they are academically unsmart. Therefore, this can lead to low self-efficacy, which in turn reduces their motivation to pursue STEM subjects.
Secondly, the decline in STEM interest showed that males are more likely than females to pursue engineering subjects, while females tend not to study physical sciences at secondary school level, despite having better academic performance on average. The behaviour and perceptions from society affects the females from pursuing STEM education. For example, females are always considered to have less aptitude in physical sciences compared to males and this is a type of stereotype.
Thirdly, many secondary school teachers also face the problem of engaging their students in STEM learning. Although teachers strive to use higher-order thinking skills and 21st century learning methods to increase students’ interest in STEM learning, insufficient infrastructure and teacher training in the use of digital tools have resulted in students lacking opportunities to explore the innovative and practical nature of science and technology. Moreover, students in rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak face additional challenges, including reduced laboratory resources and limited internet access.
STEM education must be enhanced in access and support such as reliable internet access and suitable technological devices especially in rural schools. The digital platforms that are used in STEM education always evolve and this will have the potential to bridge learning gaps faced by rural students. However, the rural schools still face the challenge lacking of access and support. Although restricted access and support, one of the strategies that can help rural school students to be on par with urban school students is adopting rural-oriented educational programs. For example, the National Science Centre’s (NSC) provides a mobile science exhibition bus with hands-on science activities and interactive exhibits that will visit fourteen schools across Sarawak in rural areas. This program motivates the students and engages them to participate in STEM education. Rural students can try the hands-on activities although the school has limited laboratory resources. The program that emphasizes the importance of careers in diverse areas such as engineering will increase the students’ in STEM careers.
In a nutshell, governments must take follow-up steps such as providing professional teaching programs, equal access to digital tools, conducting awareness campaigns on the importance of STEM in Malaysia’s future and so on to reverse this trend.
Author’s name :
Tan Xuan Joy
Master of Education (Biology) Student,
Faculty of Science and Mathematics,
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris(UPSI).
m20241001034@siswa.upsi.edu.my
Kong Hung Rong
Master of Education (Biology) Student,
Faculty of Science and Mathematics,
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris(UPSI).
Dr. Mohd Mokhzani bin Ibrahim
Lecturer, Faculty of Science and Mathematics,
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris(UPSI).
