Bridging the STEM skills gap thatinvolves education and industrial
commitments :RECSAM’s role and contributionsbyTaufek Bin Muhamad
Acting Centre Director
SEAMEO RECSAMThe gap in education• Lack of awareness• Perceives science as very challenging• Focusing more on content rather thanpractical• Insufficient learning opportunities• Science laboratories issues

STEM GAP
We cannot be expected to turn thestudents around in the 3-4 years that thestudents are in the university
We are at the receiving end of thestudents trained by schools. We cannot
provide the STEM training piecemeal
We need to review our STEM education
framework

Cradle to career
We need to start STEM education from primary tosecondary to tertiary education
In other words STEM education must be from cradle tocareer.
It must be coupled with innovative and entrepreneurial
thinking.
It must be seamless
With the launch of both blueprints MOE and MOHE areseriously starting STEM education from cradle tocareer
We need to re-train the teachers and lecturers in theteaching of STEM

DO WE HAVE THINKING SKILLSON THE GROUND?
Teaching students to become effective thinkers becomethe immediate goal for education in Malaysia.
Our curriculum now emphasizes on HOTS, higher
order thinking skills that stresses on synthesis, analysis
and evaluation.
Thinking skills are an absolute necessity for a societythat is faced with rapid changes.
It has been said that for tomorrows curriculum its betternot just to teach about the specific knowledge sincetechnology change so rapid but perhaps better to teachthe students about HOW to make sense of the newinformation.

BALANCED STEM EDUCATIONWe also need to inculcate values andcreation of balanced graduates.
While the graduates are driven toundergo wealth creation for the country
there is a need to balance that withvalues and obligations to do good forsociety.

What kind of future generation do wewant?
q A fundamental objective of any education
system is to ensure that its students arebeing equipped with the knowledge andskills required for success in life.
• Graduates that can meet the 21st century
challenges• Critical thinking skills, entrepreneurial, holisticand balanced• Balanced between character and knowledge

Global focus :• Higher order thinking skills (HOTS)• Project-based• ICT & games-based• STEM education – STEM skills , TVET
• Industrial Revolution 4.0 – digital
economy, industrial needs & commitments

PHASE 5
WAY FORWARDEDUCATION
3

PHASE
PHASE
PHASE

12

2014-2020

4PHASESTEM focused schools- STEM
Co-Curriculum
Young STEM
researchers STEM
teacher’s training
Science Conclave

10 SHIFTS1SHIFT 4: Quality
TVET Graduates
Increase capacity,
quality and levels
Enrolment 2012

250K

2345678910New
Increase
IndustryCollaborative enrolment
ledModelscurriculum2.5X
Enrolment 2025

650K

TVET is a premier lanein Malaysia

Industrial Needs• What are the skills need by the employer/industry?
• Report by Allison (2017):• Skilled production worker• Engineering skills• Information technology• Scientific skills• Technical skills• Critical thinking skills• Problem-solving skills• Communication skills

How can RECSAM contribute inbridging the gaps?

STEM TEACHER TRAININGBACKGROUND

Need for upskilling of STEM
practitioners

AIMS To prepare STEM teachers with knowledge andpedagogical skills on STEM education
To strengthen teaching instructions andapplication of STEM principles in classrooms
To develop hands-on STEM activity training modules

WAY
FORWARDSTEM TEACHER TRAINING
PROGRAM
Pedagogical approachon effective STEM practices inclassroom

52

11

HOLISTIC,
ENTREPRENEURIAL AND
BALANCED GRADUATES

2345

6789 10

Entrepreneurial Mindset▪

Embedded in the curriculum/stand alone.

Experiential Learning/service learning•Alternate periods of academic study with periodsof work experience (2U+2I)

Spirit of Volunteerism•Embedded in the curriculum/stand aloneJobSeeker

Job
CreatorCreation ofLearned
valuesdriven talentRECSAM’s ROLE & CONTRIBUTIONS• Promote and enhance science and mathematics
education through STEM activities – customized
course/workshop, in-country workshop• Provide STEM training through workshops, regularcourse• Conduct STEM research and development activities –seminars, colloquia, symposium (TIMSS/PISA),
publication - journal• Strong collaboration – SEAMEO sister centres, JICA,
MTCP, MOEs , universities etc• Harnessing human resource development

Promote STEM activities :Provide STEM training –Regular courses (Two intakes per fiscal year)

Conduct STEM research & development :Colloquium, seminar and symposiumStrong collaboration & networking :Harnessing human resource development –TQM workshop with SEAMEO SEN(31 Jan 2019)

THANK YOU   
taufek@recsam.edu.my