New Zealand Offers Experience In Promoting Science

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), Feb 13 (Bernama) -- New Zealand is offering its constructive experience in promoting science and technology in the country to be shared with Malaysia, especially in its effort in strengthening science literacy. Prof Dr Zakri Abdul Hamid, Science Advisor to the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, said the matter was among the points discussed in his meeting his New Zealand counterpart Sir Peter Gluckman here. He said the two countries acknowledged the need for society to have a basic knowledge of science related issues, and that the interest in science must be nurtured in society from the early stage of education. "When we talk about science literacy, what we mean is for the general public to have informed background of issues related to science such as climate change, water shortage or water quality and others," he said at a joint press conference with Gluckman after their meeting at the Perdana Putra Building here Monday. The meeting is part of a series of diplomatic efforts to enhance the role of science, technology and innovation in government, and it is focused on shared strength in science and technology, and a mutual interest in promoting sustainable development and a greater role for science in government planning. Gluckman is in Malaysia as part of New Zealand Week. Zakri said promoting borderless scientific cooperation between Malaysia and New Zealand had the potential to unlock new sources of wealth creation and drive both innovation and commercial exchange between the two countries, raising the standard of living of the people and improving Malaysia's global competitiveness. He said in response to the meeting today, with the collaboration of the Sains Academy of Malaysia and Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (Might); his office would consider organising a visit of academia to New Zealand to study some of the good practices applicable to the Malaysian science environment. "What is important is that the collaboration must be in line with Malaysia's New Economic Model whose core thrust is a knowledge economy to make Malaysia a high income country by 2020 as aspired by the Economic Transformation and Government Transformation programmes," he said. Meanwhile, Bruckman said he was asked by the New Zealand Prime Minister to write a major report on issues related to science education in the country, and that the country was in the process of handling numbers of the issues. He said a study showed that children aged between eight and 14 get turned off when some of their curiosity related to science cannot be answered by their teachers. -- BERNAMA