RECENTLY, Ariviyal Ainthiram (AA) was officially launched by YB Prabakaran, Chairman of MITRA’s special task force and Batu MP in collaboration with the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC) and Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (MITRA).
The launch was witnessed by students and teachers from SJK (T) St Joseph, SJK (T) Thamboosamy and SJK (T) Sentul. This initiative aims to expose students from Tamil schools across Malaysia to a diverse range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and careers.
AA is aligned to the 21st Century Learning Framework for Malaysian Primary Schools with an emphasis on higher-order thinking Skills, STEM and TVET education. This special programme will introduce “The Petri Dish,” the first science newspaper in Malaysia published by the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (MABIC), to all SJKT schools nationwide.[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”block” ihc_mb_who=”unreg” ihc_mb_template=”3″ ]
The newspaper includes a special 4-page pull-out in the Tamil language on matters about science. The content is carefully curated to cover the latest STEM developments worldwide, intriguing facts, explanations to satiate students’ curiosity, puzzles, games, introductions to lesser-known scientists and their fields, a glossary of scientific terms in Tamil and English, and Thirukural to instil values in students.
Recognising the challenges of technology disruptions, AA aims to empower Tamil school students with STEM literacy. Ravikumar Suppiah, Director General of MITRA said: “The project will be implemented for two years till June 2025 with online access to The Petri Dish continuing till June 2026. The total budget for this project is RM689.227 million. AA is being implemented in all 525 SJKTs across Malaysia targeting 80,000 students by providing the school with the print edition of The Petri Dish as well as online username and password to access The Petri Dish website. This allows both parents and students to get a grip on STEM subjects and be motivated in the sciences.
“I trust this programme will dispel the perception among students that STEM subjects are difficult leading to students shying away from pursuing STEM after Form 3,” Prabakaran said. He also pointed out that in upcoming years MITRA will continuously support and plan to empower STEM-related initiatives in Tamil schools. Moreover, MITRA is collaborating with Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) to enhance and engage sports activities in SJK (T) schools as well as allocating RM30 million for students’ welfare, especially those in the B40 groups.
Assoc Prof Dr Mohammad Rahim Kamaluddin @ Rahim Munna, a forensic criminologist and one of the pioneers of the AA programme said: “As part of the initiative, a series of STEM quiz competitions will be conducted, culminating in the exciting ‘Who wants to be a Scientist’ competition, inspired by the popular format of ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire.’
“We trust this will encourage students and teachers to fully use The Petri Dish,” he added. Mohammad Rahim also serves as the coordinator of “Who wants to be a Scientist” at the National Level competition which will take place on 27th July 2024. This competition comprises three rounds and each school can nominate a maximum of 10 participants to join.
The AA programme director, Ts Dr Mahaletchumy emphasised: “Our students should be equipped with STEM and TVET education since many jobs in future will be replaced by auto-machine and Artificial Intelligence. Thus, the seed of education and lifelong learning skills should be nurtured among the young to drive the passion for STEM.
“The perception among students that Mathematics and Science subjects are tough should be changed, and thus Ariviyal Ainthiram will be an eye-opener to ensure the students enjoy learning STEM as well as increase their competency in terms of knowledge and skills.”
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