TCS Sustainathon Malaysia 2024 challenges STEM gender gap

The second edition of Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) Sustainathon Malaysia has achieved participation from 204 students from 30 universities across the nation. The platform attracted innovative proposals for tackling the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

The TCS Sustainathon Malaysia 2024 introduced a contest for students to devise creative and practical solutions to existing challenges using technology. Ten finalists devised strategies that incorporated science and technology to narrow the gap and open opportunities for women in STEM fields. Proposals were based around three themes: enhancing the STEM curriculum with technology, promoting women in STEM as role models, and aiding women in STEM to progress in their careers.

The Deputy Minister of National Unity, Senator Saraswathy Kandasami, who attended the event, stated, "TCS Malaysia's contributions to our nation's growth embody the power of public-private partnerships in driving sustainable development and nation-building." The Senator commended the initiative for propelling Malaysia towards a more inclusive and prosperous future and pointed out that efforts to enhance women's participation in STEM are pivotal in strengthening the nation.

The winners of the contest, Claudine Ivancka Netto, Chow Xin Ying, and Fatima Safiya Fauzy, impressed the panel with their Virtulearn solution. Their proposal advocated transforming education through interactive e-textbooks centred around STEM subjects, with an aim to make the learning process more immersive and intriguing. The approach is expected to inspire more females to develop an interest in STEM and join the industry. The team received a cash prize of RM 10,000.

Chow Xin Ying, Team Lead of VirtuLearn, expressed her delight at their victory. She said it acted as a strong confidence booster and credited the mentors for their guidance which enabled the team to create effective results. She affirmed their commitment to work towards reducing the STEM gender gap and highlighted the untapped potential of women to contribute to the STEM fields.

It must be noted that women constituted only 19% of the board members and 3% of CEOs in STEM companies globally, indicating a pronounced challenge, according to the Khazanah Research Institute. Jeevan Rajoo, Country Head, TCS Malaysia, emphasised the company's dedication to engage youth in nation-building initiatives. Citing studies, he iterated that closing the gender gap in the workforce was associated with increased GDP, labour productivity and socioeconomic development, apart from adhering to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to equitable education and economic opportunities.

The TCS Sustainathon initiative, first launched in Singapore in 2020, has since then been conducted in several countries. The platform gives young minds an opportunity to collaborate with private companies, non-profit organisations, and government agencies in creating effective solutions, said the press release, thus providing a significant boost to the country's development agenda.