A nationwide biotechnology outreach and awareness program for Malaysian high schools

Mohd. Firdaus-Raih, and Sahidan Senafi, and Abdul Munir Murad, and Nik Marzuki Sidik, and Wan Kiew Lian, and Fauzi Daud, and Shahrul Hisham Zainal Ariffin, and Zulkeflie Zamrod, and Tan Chon Seng, and Ahmad Sofiman Othman, and Sharr Azni Harmin, (2004) A nationwide biotechnology outreach and awareness program for Malaysian high schools. Electronic Journal of Biotechnology, 8 (1). ISSN 07173458

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Affiliations

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Science and Technology
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Science and Technology
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Science and Technology
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Science and Technology
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Science and Technology
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Science and Technology
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Science and Technology
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Faculty of Science and Technology
Malaysian Agricultural Research Development Institute
Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Biological Sciences
Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment

Abstract

Biotechnology education in developing nations remains one of the rate limiting factors in achieving optimal human resource capacity to drive and tap the bio-resources of these nations. Many developing countries are situated within rich bio-diversity enclaves. Biotechnology offers the promise of tapping these bio resources towards due process of developing these nations. While there may be a steady stream of biology and biotechnology based graduates, from Malaysian as well as foreign universities contributing to the human resource base for these countries, the numbers and knowledge diversity produced, still lack the capacity to optimally power research and development as well as supply the industrial biotechnology sectors of these countries. Realizing the need to address these issues at the grassroots level of higher education, Malaysia has taken an active step of bringing biotechnology into the classrooms of high schools throughout the country. These future generations of Malaysians, are hoped to progress towards manning and driving Malaysia’s BioValley initiatives (a biotech based R&D and industry cluster), towards the national dream of developed nation status by the year 2020, using biotechnology as an economic growth vehicle. Here, we share our experiences in developing and proliferating a biotechnology awareness program for Malaysian high schools. It is hoped that similar programs will strive towards similar objectives in other developing countries.

Item Type:

Journal

Additional Information:

Financial support: The funds for the program described were primarily acquired form the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia, with some materiel support from the British Council (Malaysia

Keywords:

Biotechnology awareness, biotechnology education, capacity building.

Subjects:

Q Science

ID Code:

1889