Petrosains Tech4All benefits rural students in Sarawak

MIRI (Aug 1): The Petrosains Tech4All programme, a three-day interactive workshop on computer skills and robotics knowledge, has positively impacted 24 indigenous children in rural Sarawak.

Jointly organised by Petrosains and International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Roboteam, the programme held at SK Long Bedian recently was also supported by the Ministry of Education and the Sarawak State Education Department.

The workshop involved 24 indigenous pupils from the Penan, Kayan, Kenyah, Bidayuh, and Iban ethnic groups across eight primary schools in Sarawak, said Petrosains in a statement yesterday.

“This programme promotes access to digital learning through a fun and engaging approach while instilling vital 21st century skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity (4Cs).

“Petrosains aims to create accessible and engaging learning experiences to teachers and pupils of the rural community on the robotics concept, as well as the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education via hands-on approaches,” it said.

The ‘Indigenous Culture & Technology’, a new sub-category, was introduced in the Innovation category of the Petrosains RBTX Challenge 2024.

The new competition category which emphasised on digital inclusion and community development was won by SK Long Sait, Baram, thus earning it the opportunity to represent Sarawak in the upcoming Karnival Pendidikan Orang Asli dan Peribumi Kebangsaan.

Somisellnia Zachary, a spirited 12-year-old Penan from SK Long Sait, was among the programme participants.

Somisellnia, alongside other participants braved a long nine-hour road journey and river crossings from SK Long Sait in Baram to reach Miri, and an additional 3 hours and 30 minutes to SMK K11 Long Bedian to attend the programme, her first participation ever.

The eldest child of four siblings whose father worked as a labourer and her mother a housewife, aimed to be a pilot one day.

“I’m interested in robotics, and I hope there will be more programmes like this as it helps us to understand the topic better,” she said.

Her teacher, Joshua Arry, who accompanied the children at the programme, expressed his hope for the continuation of the programme which he deemed beneficial in promoting pupils’ interests in STEM education.

“I hope this new experience will encourage our Indigenous children to continue to pursue their studies and careers related to STEM subjects as there is high demand for these skills in future,” he said.