Sarawak to set up S’pore -inspired Science Centre

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Manyin (seated centre) is flanked by Lim (left) and Raymond. Those standing are Tan (right) and Asha.

KUCHING: Sarawak has decided to adopt the Singapore model in setting up its own Science Centre.

Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong said he had invited Singapore Science Centre chief executive officer Professor Lim Tit Meng here for discussion.

“We are trying to get Prof Lim to help us on the setting up our own Science Centre here.

“He (Lim) has got a lot of experience. So if everything is okay, we would like him to be our adviser later on because this is totally new to us and so we need to get input from outside,” he said after a meeting with Lim at his office at Bangunan Masja here Friday.

Manyin said aside from the Singapore Science Centre, he and the officers from his Ministry had looked at three models including the Tecdom Science Centre in Penang and Petro Science in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) for consideration.

He noted that all the three were equally good but, after various considerations, they have decided to look at Singapore, which is a good model for them to adopt.

According to Manyin, the proposed Science Centre project would be financed by the Sarawak government as they are certain that the federal government will not give Sarawak the fund to implement such project.

He said they have planned to use the Civic Centre, which now already has the Petrosains DinoTrek and a Planetarium.

“So we plan to just turn the main hall at the Civic Centre, renovate it and put all those models inside it,” he said

Manyin said they also plan to demolish one dilapidated apartment in the area which belong to the state, and convert it into dormitories.

He said there must be dormitories there so that rural students can come and stay overnight, otherwise, the centre is only meant for town students.

“These are some of the proposals, and we will present them to the Chief Minister soon.

“Hopefully the Chief Minister will endorse it. Once approved by the Chief Minister, we can even start by next year,” he said.

Manyin pointed out that his Ministry planned to set up this Science Centre because Sarawak’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) performance was very low.

He believed the performance in STEM was an indication that students in Sarawak did not have much interest in Science and Mathematics.

“But if there is a Science Centre, I look at the ones in Penang and Singapore, the students go there and begin to appreciate and build their interest as there is a lot of things actually they can learn, which instill the interest among the students.

“In Singapore, the Science Centre is full almost every day. Of course they have to book,” he said.

Manyin believed that if Sarawak has its own Science Centre, a lot of student groups, led by the teachers, will visit the centre.

That, he said, would help create the interest of the students which in the end will improve the state’s STEM performance.

Senior director of exhibitions and event, Singapore Science Centre Daniel Tan, Sarawak Education Department assistant director Raymond Maurice Stephen Bujang and officer and Education, Science and Technological Research Ministry officer Asha Devi Kaushal were also present during Lim’s courtesy call on Manyin.