STEM Education for Transformative Learning for Pulau Sebatik, Tawau, Sabah

Pulau Sebatik, located in Tawau, Sabah, faces challenges related to access to quality STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education due to geographical and resource limitations. Our University Social Responsibility (USR) program has successfully achieved its intended objectives, which are to enhance STEM exposure and learning experiences among full potential secondary school students and teachers at SMK Wallace Bay through collaboration with ConocoPhillips, Creative Minds, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, and the Ministry of Education of Malaysia.

A total of 25 teachers and 293 students benefited directly from the program. The project was supported by RM20,000 external funding and RM30,000 internal funding from UTP, with active involvement from academic staff and students as facilitators.

Transforming Students’ Experience
This program served as a gateway to the future for students at SMK Wallace Bay; the exposure to hands-on, interactive, and problem-solving activities enabled us to achieve:

• Raised awareness and students’ interest in STEM with our designed activities.
• Improved motivation and confidence to pursue STEM-related studies and careers.

Empowering the Educator
Acknowledging teachers as the backbone of change, this program invested in professional development in schools:

• Strengthened teachers' capacity to integrate STEM concepts using student-centered pedagogical approaches.
• Encouraged continuous professional development in STEM education for educators.

This initiative served as a scalable blueprint to close the educational gap between rural and urban communities. By implementing school–university–industry collaboration, UTP is strengthening rural outreach to support the nation's aspirations for human capital development.

Project leader: Dr Nasir Abdul Jalil (nasir.jalil@utp.edu.my)