Students pursuing science at UMT declining

KUALA NERUS: The number of students taking science courses in higher learning institutions especially at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) has declined significantly.
UMT deputy vice-chancellor Associate Prof Dr Che Mohd Ruzaidi Ghazali said two years ago, only 29% of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia and Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia leavers pursued science courses at UMT.
"Last year, the number of students choosing the course declined to 27% out of 10,000 students in the university," he told reporters after the National Tamil Debate Cup competition here which was officiated by Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk M Saravanan.
Che Mohd Ruzaidi said the lack of exposure to the importance of science and technology might lead to the perception that taking science courses was very difficult.
"But actually, if we have taken the right approach, (studying) science can be fun and exciting," he said adding that there were also various career prospects available in that field. — Bernama