17 June 2025
STEM Catalysts Raspberry Pi 2025 tour reached Betong District Education Office today where Sekolah Kebangsaan Abang Abdul Kadir hosted over 300 Primary 5, 6 and Form 1 students from surrounding schools in Betong. This is the 7th stop of the tour out of 18 stops across Sarawak.
STEM Catalysts is a touring science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) carnival organized by the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development to spur pupils’ interest in STEM, particularly those in rural primary schools.
The 2025 edition features the use of coding and Raspberry Pi to make use of knowledge in STEM, for example the use of Raspberry Pi to control hydraulic systems to lift very heavy object guided by Pascal’s Law.
YB Dato’ Gerald Rentap Jabu, Deputy Minister for Youth, Sport and Entrepreneur Development I and ADUN Layar graced the event today. “We have to inculcate STEM awareness and interests in our young pupils as early as possible to get them ready for future, technology driven, competitive world. Therefore, I hope events such STEM Catalysts can be carried out more frequently and with participation from parents and the public. We need everyone’s participation to nurture our young ones.
In the launch of the program in April 2025, the Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Sarawak YB Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee reaffirmed the Ministry’s resolve to increase STEM enrolment in Sarawak from 30% to 60% to produce enough talents for Sarawak.
STEM Catalysts is one of the many initiatives coordinated by the Ministry to achieve that target.
At the event, staff and students from Sarawak Skills and University of Technology Sarawak as well as STEM communicators from Sarawak Science Centre explained the STEM concepts behind each exhibit to pupils.
Persatuan Kebajikan Rolf Schnyder, a philanthropic organisation which provides education support to children, organized a coding mini competition at the event as well.
The tour shall move on to Lubok Antu and Simunjan, followed by Kanowit, Song and Kapit next week. It is expected to cover 100 schools by the end of the month.
