MEMENTO: Fadillah (left) receives a memento from Ali (right) as Dr Annuar looks on.
SIBU: The number of students taking up science and mathematics in secondary schools has gone down, says Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Fadillah Yusof.
He said that a recent study conducted by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) found that there were more science and mathematics teachers than the number of such classes in secondary schools nationwide.
“The number (of students) has declined when compared to that in previous years,” he said when met during a Hari Raya gathering organised by Sibu Youth here yesterday.
Fadillah, who is also Petra Jaya MP, however, said he could not confirm the exact number of science classes and students (taking up science) nationwide.
He said the government had a target to produce 60,000 researchers, scientists and engineers for every 10,000 workers by 2020, “but with the decline in number of students taking up science and mathematics, we will not be able to achieve the target”.
“This will hinder the country’s competitiveness in technology and innovation. Besides, it is only nine years before 2020,” he said.
For this reason, he said his ministry was organising a ‘Science and Mathematics Promotion’ programme to stir interest among students to take up science and mathematics.
The state-level programme would be held in Sibu and Mukah next month, he added
The gathering also saw the presence of Nangka assemblyman Dr Annuar Rapa’ee and the organising chairman Ali Mat.