KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 -- Malaysia must start teaching STEM subjects in schools as early as possible to address the critical shortage of engineers and high-skilled labour in the country, several experts have said.

Mas Sahidayana, the director of University of Malaya's (UM) STEM Centre, emphasised that STEM skills need to be nurtured from preschool with the cooperation of parents, teachers, the government and learning institutions, or else Malaysia risks suffering from these labour shortages down the road.

She said despite the efforts of various stakeholders, enrolment rates for Form 4 students in STEM A and B streams remain alarmingly low. In 2023, only 16.64 per cent (about 61,333 students) enrolled in the STEM A package, and just 5.43 p...