Puchong, 7 February 2017 - IOI Group’s foundation, Yayasan Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng (Yayasan TSLSC) has collaborated with Chumbaka Sdn Bhd (Chumbaka) and Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) under the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) initiative to focus on the education of students on four specific disciplines namely Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the IOI-Puchong STEM Programme.

The programme, launched on 7 February 2017 at SJK(C) Sin Cheng (Harcroft), is a community project aimed at providing STEM exposure for ten schools in Puchong. Every week, a two-hour workshop will be conducted by Chumbaka to promote students’ interest towards the STEM fields while providing opportunities to spur the students’ passion to innovate. They will be equipped with digital making skills such as embedded system, electronics, coding, prototyping as well as 21st century skills and soft skills to embrace the digital economy of the future. Aside from developing technologically savvy students, the programme aims to train them to take part in innovation competitions, skills such as tenacity, critical thinking, creativity and communication to cultivate a generation of thinkers, problem solvers and inventors.

A total of 24 students and their parents along with school administrative committees and representatives from Yayasan TSLSC and AIM were involved in the launch. Schools that are involved in the programme are SJKC Sin Ming, SK Pusat Bandar Puchong 1, SK Puchong, SK Puchong Jaya 1, SMK Puchong Utama, SMK Seksyen 1 Bandar Kinrara, SMK Batu 8, SMK Bandar Puchong Jaya (A) and SMK Bandar Puchong Jaya (B).

On 13 March 2017, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri presented the Social Public-Private Partnership (PPP) fund certificates to Yayasan TSLSC and Chumbaka in appreciation of their collaboration with AIM as private sector funders. The presentation was held at the Social Economy and Investment Conference (SEIC) 2017 in Sasana Kijang, Bank Negara.