KUALA LUMPUR, November 28 – Yayasan PETRONAS recently recognized 243 teachers with the prestigious Duta Guru title through its Program Duta Guru (PDG). This initiative, launched in 2020, is designed to equip 4,500 teachers with competencies in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), aiming to foster increased interest in STEM-related subjects among students. PDG is Yayasan PETRONAS’ signature teacher training program, developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Teach For Malaysia (TFM). To date, PDG has certified over 500 Duta Guru.
The award ceremony took place during the PDG National Symposium 2023, a two-day conference with the theme “Building Future-Proof Problem Solvers: Exploring the Intersection between Integrated STEM and a Sustainable Future.” The event attracted over 900 attendees, including key stakeholders, policymakers, educational subject experts, teachers, and students from across the nation. Dr. Ahmad Rafee Che Kassim, the MoE Deputy Director-General of Education in the Policy and Curriculum Sector, who officiated the PDG National Symposium 2023, expressed his optimism regarding the progress of the teacher training program:
“I am glad to see that we have begun to reap the fruits of labor from PDG. This is made possible by the collective effort between the Ministry, Yayasan PETRONAS, and TFM. This year, we recorded and exceeded the STEM enrollment rate by 45 percent among students nationwide. We are in the right direction, and with consistent effort, we can go further.” The symposium also included its first Student Roundtable Discussion on the topic of “Empowering Future Innovators: Fostering a Culture of Problem-solving and Critical Thinking in STEM Classrooms,” where students shared how they applied higher-order thinking skills in their studies and STEM projects.
In her welcoming remarks, Yayasan PETRONAS CEO, Shariah Nelly Francis, stated, “PDG is very much aligned with the 12th Malaysia Plan in ensuring equal access to quality education, regardless of location and background. We are also heartened by the Government’s initiatives as outlined in the recent Budget 2024 to further advance the nation’s STEM enrollment. This demonstrates the commitment of the country in cultivating the students’ interest in STEM in producing a highly skilled workforce that can propel Malaysia’s economic progress.”
The 243 teachers from Cohort Three of PDG, who received their Duta Guru award, will now become catalysts for STEM education in their respective schools and districts after completing the two-year training session. Currently, PDG is training its fourth Cohort, which consists of 453 STEM teachers from secondary schools nationwide.
