TW nation’s science is in poor shape. Few would dispute that, most of all the science community.
Interest among students in science is waning. Less than 30 per cent take up science. Many do not believe science can offer a satisfying career. A growing number prefer to become footballers. They are better paid. The industry is also not investing much in science. Instead of spending their own money to develop products, many still look to government grants. Even government planning bodies have lost hope in science. Many claim science has not truly delivered on its promise.
A recent intellectual discourse hosted by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) made another attempt to improve the situation. A panel was assembled to deliberate on a new Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Master Plan.
ASM has made many attempts in the past to change the fate of science for the better. Not too long ago, a new Science Act was proposed to transform science governance in the country. Admittedly, poor science governance is one contributing factor. This was not well received basically on the grounds that some interest groups may have to surrender their power turf.
There was also an attempt to revamp the teaching of science, taking the cue from some successful models elsewhere. Unfortunately, most such attempts fell on deaf ears. But, this time around, things may be different. At that ASM discourse, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau gave a refreshing keynote address. Judging from the many messages he made during that presentation, there may be a strong glimmer of hope for science. Fellows of ASM who attended the event agreed that this may be the opportunity we have been waiting for to break the deadlock. Science may at least see better days ahead.
In his address, the minister spoke frankly about the nation’s many challenges in science that call for serious scrutiny. Unless the obstacles are tackled in an objective manner, our aspirations to become a strong force in the world’s innovation-led economy may be derailed.
First, he urged we should no longer work in silos. He admitted the fact that science is an agenda for all ministries, and not something exclusively within the domain of the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.
Second, he strongly advocated more investment in data gathering to guide the effective implementation of all science initiatives. He was full of praise for the Science Outlook report, recently unveiled by ASM.
To him, the report which was produced for the first time using ASM’s own funds, provided an excellent account of the poor state the nation’s science is in. Instead of the earlier plan to undertake the survey every two years, the minister has urged that the exercise be done on a yearly basis. Though burdensome for ASM, fellows of the academy showed willingness to do it.
The minister also applauded many of the recommendations of the report. The call to relook the national STI Master Plan attracted his interest. The panel discourse was conducted basically to mine ideas from fellows on how to best proceed to formulate the plan. Unfortunately, the panel was consumed with other matters irrelevant to the theme.
The discourse should have touched on issues, including why we need the plan, what should be the key substance of the plan, how to generate the plan and the timeline for the formulation of the plan. All these were unfortunately missing in the discussion. The presentation which critically compared the nation’s bioeconomy plan with that of China’s was the only one which stood out. It may warrant another workshop to deliberate on the issues that matter.
One thing is for sure, though. We have produced many plans for science in the past. In fact, even the ministry’s National Science Technology and Innovation Policy 3 (NSTIP 3) has yet to run its full course. Yet, we are thinking of a master plan. Much has been written about the shortcomings of NSTIP3, especially its lack of realistic action plans.
The STI Master Plan must therefore be more comprehensive. This is because without effective implementation, which includes actions in monitoring and evaluation, the new plan will not deliver what the minister and the nation’s science community have in mind. It should not be another wasted effort!
Dr Ahmad Ibrahim is a fellow at Academy of
Sciences Malaysia