Nurturing the Next Generation of STEM Leaders
In the misty valley of Kiulu, tucked away in the foothills of Sabah’s Tuaran district, lies Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Tun Fuad Stephens, a key educational institution in a town with a population of just over two thousand people.
Despite growing up in a small town surrounded by nature and an economy heavily reliant on agriculture and ecotourism, students from the school aspire to one day become Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) leaders of Malaysia. Form 5 students Cherrylane Rachell Cornalius, Ellya Adryanna Roger, Joanneva Rayzel Jeffery and Glady Blenny Justin are a testament to this, as each harbour ambitions of becoming a biochemist, pharmacist, an engineer, and an ophthalmologist.
Pictured from left to right are: Joanneva, Cherrylane, Hassan, Glady and Ellya.
In their journey toward achieving this goal, they participated in Misi Jelajah Digital (MJD), Maxis eKelas’ annual competition to sharpen their STEM and digital skills. The challenge for MJD was to create a video game with the goal of educating peers about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Despite their inexperience, they saw the competition as a golden opportunity for self-development. Through sheer grit and determination, and many, many hours of coding, their hard work earned them a fifth-place finish, edging out larger urban schools from across the nation.
The group presenting their video game at the Misi Jelajah Digital Finale.
The team from SMK Tun Fuad Stephens explained that they fully utilised the online resources available in the eKelas portal to learn and understand concepts. Next, they applied these concepts in production by cleverly incorporating their own personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic to showcase SDG 3 — good health and wellbeing.
While proud of this achievement, they highlighted challenges faced along the way, including the need to overcome the common belief among themselves that STEM is difficult.
The team described their initial experiences with subjects like additional mathematics and chemistry as challenging. And yet, they quickly realised that by simply giving it a try the subjects turned out to be enjoyable. Like in MJD, their inexperience only serves as a reminder that anything is possible when you try.
Don’t be afraid to pursue STEM despite others claiming it’s ‘too difficult’. If you put in the effort, anything difficult can be made easy. Follow your heart. - Cherrylane Rachell Cornalius
Their teacher, Hassan Ukong, played a crucial role in their development. Having taught science and chemistry for over 20 years, Cikgu Hassan has seen the trials and tribulations of teaching STEM subjects in the rural communities of Sabah.
In urban schools, they have many commodities. Tuition is also very accessible. But with rural schools, it can be very demanding for teachers in terms of resources. Therefore, I believe teachers need to be the one to spark on interest amongst their students towards STEM education. - Cikgu Hassan
Given the right resources, opportunities and support, any student can thrive and accomplish great feats in education and beyond.
The Misi Jelajah Digital finalists pictured together in the Living Room of Menara Maxis, Kuala Lumpur.
That’s where Maxis eKelas comes in -- by providing students, especially from rural communities, with access to quality learning resources, live workshops, competitions, and rewards. MJD, entering its fourth year in 2024 is just one of the many eKelas activities designed to provide Malaysian students with the platform to learn, practice, and grow their STEM knowledge.
