SIBU: Sarawak needs to move quickly to enhance its ability to master digital technology, which is highly relevant in the educational context currently.
Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Minister, Datuk Seri Roland Sagah, said Sarawak is very rich in biodiversity data, which clearly has the potential to be developed, thus contributing to the state’s income sources.
“Therefore, it would be a great loss if we have a lot of natural data, but we lack the means to process this geological data. With such issues, surely digital technology like Artificial Intelligence can analyse the data and subsequently contribute to our economy,” he said.
He said this in his speech read by his deputy Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee at a Jom Masuk U Zon Sarawak II programme organised by UITM Mukah at Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud Chancellor’s Hall, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) here Saturday.
He said professional and efficient generations to develop technology programmes in Sarawak need to be created through collaboration with Artificial Intelligence experts from both within and outside the country.
“This is important because we can channel the existing data to the right avenues using framework examples practiced by other countries such as Singapore.
“To achieve this efficiency, we all cannot deny that education is important by strengthening the language of technology, which is the international language, namely English, among students,” he added.
Despite the remarkable progress of Artificial Intelligence, he said, it is also important to pay attention to ethics in the development of Artificial Intelligence.
“So here, the role of the education sector is important in providing comprehensive preparation for the young generation of Sarawak to face all forms of challenges not only stemming from the emergence of Artificial Intelligence but also any innovations that will be introduced which certainly have their good and bad sides.
“Therefore, the top management of educational and training institutions must be committed to producing graduates who have creativity, innovation, and a high spirit of competitiveness,” he said.
He also said that Sarawak urgently needs skilled workers to be placed in state government management, public and corporate agencies to assist the state government’s development in sustaining the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
“In fact, in 2023 alone, the Sarawak government contributed RM32.5 million for new educational sector initiatives in the state to empower talent development efforts among Sarawak’s children.
“With the large funds that have been invested in this educational sector, the state government highly hopes that Sarawak’s children will take the initiative to seize the opportunity to further their studies at the highest levels both locally and abroad because the opportunity to get an education has been widely publicised.
“No one can change our future except ourselves, and it would be a great loss if we do not seize the opportunity to pursue higher education, especially through the programmes promoted by the Ministry of Higher Education,” he added.
Also present were the UiTM Sarawak acting rector Associate Professor Dr Mohammad Isa Mohamadin and UTS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr Khairuddin Abdul Hamid.
