KOTA KINABALU, March 5 — The Sabah government has allocated RM164.01 million for human capital development under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said.
He said the allocation would focus on empowering Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, promoting agricultural training, and advancing digital technology with an emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI) literacy.
“Human capital development remains a priority under the state’s development programme as Sabah strives towards progress and excellence.
“The skills and youth development sector will be further strengthened through the expansion of scholarships and educational assistance,” Hajiji said in his speech when officiating the Teacher Training Programme for the SMJ Robotics Competition at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Lok Yuk here today.
The text of his speech was read out by Sabah Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk James Ratib.
Hajiji said the state government had always supported efforts to provide more inclusive, high-quality education opportunities, particularly those that fostered STEM and innovation as part of the learning culture in schools.
“We want to ensure that programmes like this run in an orderly manner, through close collaboration between the education sector, schools, communities, and strategic partners, so that teachers receive the appropriate support and students can enjoy meaningful learning experiences,” he said.
Hajiji said that teacher training was crucial, as it would equip teachers with the necessary skills and resources, thereby enabling students to master technology, build confidence, and develop practical innovations.
“This programme does not just introduce robotics as an additional activity, but it also has a more structured approach through an implementation model in schools.
“This includes minimum infrastructure requirements, the use of robotics kits, learning platforms, and teacher training through Train-the-Trainer to ensure effective implementation,” he said.
Hajiji said that the use of the LEANBOT robotics kit as the main learning tool, together with physical training and simulations through Digital Twin, could offer students a practical and hands-on learning approach.
“It helps students learn through the experience of building, testing, making improvements, and ultimately understanding concepts more deeply, not just memorising theories,” he said. — Bernama
