Are we truly serious about STEM ?
By Rukmini Paarivel
Recently, my son, a Form 3 student in a government school in Klang, shared his growing anxiety about entering the science stream next year. He’s eager and capable—brimming with curiosity about science and technology. But instead of feeling excited, he’s worried. And as his mother, so am I.
He said something that struck me deeply:
“Amma, the government talks so much about STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths—but it’s like we’re just clanking empty cans. The noise is loud, but there’s nothing inside.”
It’s a Tamil proverb, but the meaning is universal: All talk, no substance.
His school has only two Additional Mathematics teachers—one of whom is also the school counsellor and frequently away for meetings. That means all Form 4 and Form 5 science students rely on just one or two teachers for a subject as crucial as Add Maths. According to him, next year, the number of science classes might even be reduced from two to just one.
Why? The explanation he hears from the school is that “students aren’t qualified enough” for science. But how do we expect students to be “qualified” if the system doesn’t give them the foundation they need?
I fear the real issue is the chronic shortage of science teachers—especially in standard government day schools. It’s no secret that Malaysia has long faced a shortage of qualified teachers in core subjects. A 2023 Ministry of Education report confirmed a shortfall of over 4,000 teachers, particularly in Science, English, and Mathematics.
But here’s the concern that keeps nagging me:
Is this issue disproportionately affecting certain schools? Because from what I’ve seen, matriculation colleges and elite residential schools (SBP, MRSM) don’t seem to face these problems. Their students are amply supported, fully equipped, and surrounded by qualified teachers. Meanwhile, regular government schools in urban or semi-urban areas—like my son’s—are scraping by.
Why this disparity?
Are teacher allocations based on prestige, postcode, or student performance? Shouldn’t equal access to quality STEM education be a national priority—regardless of school type?
The cracks in the system don’t stop at science subjects. My son tells me his History teacher has only appeared a handful of times in the past six months. Some students are left completely directionless unless their parents can afford tuition. We’re lucky we can—many aren’t.
What worries me is not just my child’s future, but Malaysia’s. We keep talking about becoming a tech-driven economy, about AI, green technology, semiconductors. But how are we preparing the next generation if there aren’t even enough teachers to enter the classroom?
There is still time to fix this. But first, we need to ask hard questions:
Are we allocating resources fairly across all school types?
Why are regular schools consistently under-supported?
What can be done in the short term to address critical teaching shortages?
When I told my son, “Don’t worry—we’ll find the money to send you for tuition, even if it means taking on more jobs,” he smiled.
But deep down, I know this isn’t how it should be. Every child in Malaysia deserves access to quality STEM education—not just the privileged few.
Until we fix that, we’re not building a future—we’re just making noise.
Rukmini Paarivel reads Harapan Daily.