Malaysia now has 607 ‘digital ninjas’, deputy comms minister says 200 are women
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 — A government programme that sought to get more Malaysians involved in science and technology has birthed 607 “digital ninjas” from 2017 to July 30, of which 200 are women.
Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching today said around 80 per cent of female students who pursued higher education in Malaysia and abroad take courses in the field of digital technology.
“After graduating, they are guided towards becoming digital change makers in the industry and contributing back to society,” she said while officiating the Digital Ninja #GirlsInTech in conjunction with Girls in ICT at the Kuala Lumpur Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad here this morning.
The Digital Ninja #GirlsinTech campaign aims to encourage female students to participate in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
“The total participation of women in the technology sector in Malaysia is around 35 per cent.
“According to a Statista report in 2022, female students entering higher education institutions will exceed 60 per cent compared to males,” Teo said.
The Digital Ninja programme provides opportunities to Malaysian students aged 11 to 16 years who are talented in the field of digital technology to further hone students' digital talents and skills and provide them with exposure to innovative, creative thinking, problem-solving skills and entrepreneurship, she said.
The programme is under the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), an agency under the Communications and Digital Ministry.
The digital economy contributes about 23.2 per cent of Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) and is expected to rise to 25.5 per cent by the year 2025.
Teo said the digital economy is expected to create more than 500,000 job opportunities by then.
She added that the figure is expected to rise in the next decade or two if students today demonstrate interest in empowering themselves with digital knowledge and skills by venturing into STEM fields.
Besides that, MDEC will be organise its annual carnival #mydigitalmaker 2023 to provide opportunities for school students to participate in various activities such as robotics, coding, creation and innovation, virtual reality and live digital technology exhibitions, she said.
It will be held from October 6 to 8 at Quill City Mall in Kuala Lumpur from 10am to 8pm, she said, adding that admission will be free.
