Akmal Nasrullah unveils RM12.3m Penang STEM programme, targeting 100,000 students by 2030

GEORGE TOWN, Aug 10 — The federal government will allocate RM12.3 million for a four-year STEM talent programme in Penang aimed at reaching 100,000 students by 2030.

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the allocation will support the implementation of the Penang STEM Talent Blueprint, which was first introduced by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow in 2024.

“We appreciate the efforts undertaken by Penang, so we agreed to collaborate with the target of training 100,000 students by 2030 as part of our efforts to promote interest in STEM,” he told a press conference after launching the STEM Talent Pilot Project here today.

He said the Economy Ministry had agreed to provide RM12.3 million over four years to implement the programme, which will expose students to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from an early age.

The pilot programme is a collaboration between the Economy Ministry and the Penang government to strengthen the talent pipeline needed by future industries.

Akmal said the programme will comprise four streams covering different levels of schooling, “Ignite: STEM Education” and “Ignite: MathQuest” for primary school students, “Embed: AI on Wheels” for lower secondary students, and “Embed: Technical Skill Learning” for upper secondary students.

The programmes were developed by Tech Dome Penang, Penang Math Platform, Penang Science Cluster and Penang STEM.

Akmal said Penang’s established industrial ecosystem made it an ideal location to test a model that could later be replicated elsewhere in the country.

“At the national level, we see that this whole-of-ecosystem approach to cultivating interest in STEM can be made a pilot project in Penang and, based on its success, subsequently introduced in other states,” he said.

He said the programme was not merely about increasing students’ interest in science and mathematics but about ensuring that local youths could participate in the higher-value economic opportunities being created around them.

Akmal said Penang already has a strong specialisation in the electrical and electronics (E&E), semiconductor and high-tech manufacturing sectors, making talent development increasingly important to sustain its industrial growth.

He said Penang’s economy grew by 7.3 per cent in 2025, compared with national gross domestic product growth of 5.2 per cent, while the state’s manufacturing sector expanded by 10 per cent.

Penang’s GDP reached RM130.3 billion, while the state accounted for 48.9 per cent of Malaysia’s total exports in June this year.

Akmal said technological advancement must be accompanied by efforts to ensure that local communities are not left behind.

“Talent development needs to begin earlier, from primary school to secondary school, and be strengthened through higher education, TVET and industrial training,” he said.

“When we talk about STEM at school level, it is not merely about mathematics or science. STEM shapes how our children think, how they solve problems, and subsequently builds their confidence and prepares them to go further,” he said.

The programme will also give particular attention to rural schools and lower-income communities, with students receiving hands-on exposure to emerging fields including artificial intelligence (AI), data science, robotics and digital technologies.

Akmal said 86 per cent of employers expect AI and information-processing technologies to change how businesses operate.

“Technology is moving so rapidly out there. We need to equip our children with the skills to adapt to technologies, jobs and challenges that are constantly changing, so that they can remain relevant,” he said.

Akmal said Malaysia also needs to develop 60,000 skilled engineers as the country seeks to move further up the semiconductor value chain from back-end activities towards higher-value front-end activities.

He said Malaysia’s next phase of industrial development should be about creating technology rather than merely manufacturing products developed elsewhere.

“Previously, we were proud when we successfully produced goods that were ‘made in Malaysia’. Now, we want to change that to ‘made by Malaysia’,” he said.

“It is not merely about putting factories here, but having our own talent create higher value,” he said.

He said the government ultimately wanted the students exposed to the programme to become more than workers equipped for future industries.

“We are no longer just clients or consumers. We are the innovators. We are the inventors that will change the landscape of technology even on the global stage,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chow thanked the Economy Ministry for backing the state’s STEM blueprint and providing the RM12.3 million allocation.

He said Penang had already implemented various STEM initiatives to support the state’s economic development, including programmes involving industry placements and new skills training.

“We have received good collaboration from industry, and many programmes involving the placement of students in industries are already taking place,” he said.

Chow said one of the aims was to equip students with practical skills from as early as Form Four, giving them the option of entering the workforce after completing their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).

“Part of our aspiration is that students who have completed their SPM can already start working because this programme prepares them from Form Four onwards,” he said.

Akmal also called on companies to go beyond supporting formal STEM modules by giving students first-hand exposure to workplaces and new technologies.

“If there is an opportunity, bring our children to your workplaces and show them what new technologies you are actually acquiring,” he said.

He added that the effectiveness of the Penang pilot will be evaluated and improved before it is considered for expansion to other states and economic sectors nationwide.