- 204 individuals from 30 universities and colleges participate in the second TCS Sustainathon Malaysia.
- Teams developed innovative ways to increase the gender picture in STEM.
The finalists of TCS Sustainathon Malaysia 2024, a problem-solving contest that helps students to find creative options to real-world problems using technologies, were announced by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
Ten finalists shared their ideas for making the most of technology to close the gender gap in STEM fields and give people identical opportunities for advancement in these areas. The finalist candidates addressed three issue remarks in their ideas in response to the style” Embracing Women in STEM,” using technology to enhance the STEM education, encouraging successful people in STEM as role models, and supporting women in STEM as they advance in their careers.
The aim of this year’s theme was to raise awareness among young people about the gender gap in STEM and to motivate them to use technology to close the gender gap.
In Malaysia, more than half of the local STEM graduates are women ( 53.2 % in 2021 ) but men outnumber women in employment, according to research by the Khazanah Research Institute. In contrast to the 72 % of men, only 69 % of women who graduated were hired. At the leadership level, the challenge is even more acute globally, with women constituting only 19 % of board members and 3 % of CEOs in STEM companies.
Students Claudine Ivancka Netto, Chow Xin Ying and Fatima Safiya Fauzy from Brickfields Asia College ( BAC ) took home the grand prize for their solution, VirtuLearn. Their proposal aimed to transform education by creating interactive e-books with a focus on STEM subjects, making STEM education more immersive and engaging. This is anticipated to spur more female students on to grow interested in the field and work for the company.
Second place was won by Team SrikandInTech from , Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Aisya Batrisyia Azley, Nur Adilah Zainal Abidin, and Mohammed Zaid Ahmed Alshami.
Team Grow Your Own STEM from the University of Malaysia, led by Muslihah Mohd Norhisam, Siti Nor Syafiqah Muhammad Hanafiah, and Siti Nur Syafiqah Abd Latif, won third place. The winning team received RM10, 000, the second and third placed teams were awarded RM7, 000 and RM5, 000 respectively. In its second edition, 204 students from 30 universities and colleges in Malaysia submitted proposals, making 76 out of 76 total.
Chow Xin Ying, Team Lead of champions VirtuLearn, said,” We’re delighted to win the TCS Sustainathon Malaysia 2024. This victory is a fantastic boost to one’s self-assurance. We are excited to help close the STEM gender gap in the future, in our own small way, because learning from the mentors really opened our eyes to how we could use our idea to produce more effective results. We should make full efforts to use the women’s potential to contribute to STEM fields to improve society. Additionally, we would like to thank Malaysia Airlines for the return tickets and TCS Malaysia for the cash prize. We will undoubtedly make use of these resources.
Jeevan Rajoo, Country Head, TCS Malaysia, said, “TCS is committed to supporting youth empowerment by engaging them in nation- building initiatives. One such avenue is the TCS Sustainathon, which encourages young people to develop ideas for solutions to socioeconomic issues. Our youth are well-positioned to influence societal progress and implement the paradigm shift required to make the STEM field more gender balanced. They are our future leaders. We are already walking the talk at TCS by having more women in our workforce to elevate innovation, creativity and competitiveness. In addition to meeting UN Sustainable Development Goals objectives like equitable education and economic opportunities, research has shown that closing the gender gap in the workforce is related to a rise in gross domestic product ( GDP ), labor productivity, and socioeconomic development.
The finale was attended by Senator Saraswathy Kandasami, the Deputy Minister of National Unity, who said, “TCS Malaysia’s contributions to our nation’s growth embody the power of public- private partnerships in driving sustainable development and nation- building. Their efforts to promote innovation and support STEM education perfectly align with our national priorities, highlighting the crucial role that these collaborations play in moving Malaysia toward a more inclusive and prosperous future, a goal that the government, and specifically the Ministry of National Unity, strive to achieve.
The TCS Sustainathon Malaysia 2024 is supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation ( MDEC ), Astro, CelcomDigi, Khazanah Research Institute, Malaysia Aviation Group, Maybank, SEEd. Malaysia and Brunei are members of the UN Global Compact Network.
The TCS Sustainathon initiative was first introduced in Singapore in 2020. Since then, it has gone global, with 12 editions across 10 countries, including Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa and Ireland. The youth have the opportunity to work with private companies, non-profit organizations, and government agencies to come up with solutions through the competition.
More details about the TCS Sustainathon Malaysia 2024 can be found here.