KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- Yayasan PETRONAS recently inducted its second cohort of 176 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers across 120 secondary school districts in Malaysia. This brings the total number of teachers in its flagship Program Duta Guru (PDG) programme to 308.

For this cohort, each teacher will undergo a two-year training programme comprising online workshops, industry visits and projects addressing issues that hinder STEM progress in their communities. They will be able to strengthen their professional development through a blend of Content, Coaching, Community development and Commitment, upskill themselves and encourage peer-to-peer sharing.

PDG Cohort 2 received 450 applications from 136 school districts in Malaysia and the teachers were selected based on recommendation from their respective school principals. Priority was also given to teachers from the B40 schools.

“The selected teachers are excellent educators with high potential to become leaders in their field and communities,” said Yayasan PETRONAS’ Chief Executive Officer, Nelly Francis Shariah. 

“Together with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and our PDG implementation partner Teach For Malaysia, we believe that STEM teachers are the front-liners who can improve the quality of students' learning in embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

PDG, which is a collaboration between Yayasan PETRONAS and the MoE, aims to empower 4,500 teachers to be highly capable STEM educators, serving as role models in enhancing students’ interest and competency in STEM education, especially the underprivileged students, and in strengthening their higher-order thinking skills by 2030.

National STEM Centre’s Senior Principal Assistant Director Dr Ihsan Ismail said he wished that all dedicated teachers could be inducted into the programme. “This is because STEM is critical to the nation's progress and in building the future workforce. We will continue to grow this programme in stages whilst maintaining quality to ensure its goals are met."

All selected teachers will participate in a National Symposium featuring industry leaders from PETRONAS, STEM experts and the Ministry of Education at the end of this year.

"The first-ever PDG National Symposium will present a platform for over 300 teachers to share their journey, learnings and their current impact projects to the public. Through their experience, we hope that other teachers will be inspired and carry forward their learnings to be applied in classrooms and schools across the country," said Teach For Malaysia Chief Executive Officer, Chan Soon Seng.

A PDG Cohort 1 participant from Sarawak, Thian Ping Ping, who has been teaching Mathematics and Science at SMK Tun Abdul Razak, Kuching for 20 years said, “PDG has enhanced my pedagogical skills and helped ease lesson planning. 
 
“I was able to connect to the teacher leadership community groups online, and share solutions and ideas, which saves a lot of time in lesson planning as I would adopt other teachers’ pedagogy and customise it to the needs of my students.”
 
Through PDG, Yayasan PETRONAS enriches and upskills teachers for a sustainable future, providing equitable access to education for all public school students, especially the underprivileged ones in Malaysia.
 
Issued by:
Yayasan PETRONAS 
 
SOURCE: Yayasan PETRONAS 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Yayasan PETRONAS
Name: Carol Wong
Tel: +60 12-296 9281 
Email: wong.yuetmeng@petronas.com.my  
 
PETRONAS
Name: Estee Aina Huslan
Tel: +6012 2283377
Email: esteeaina.huslan@petronas.com

--BERNAMA