GEORGE TOWN, Nov 10 — The Education Ministry (MOE) will incorporate the Reproductive and Social Health Education (PEERS) module into the 2027 school curriculum to address the rising number of teenage pregnancies in the country, said Minister Fadhlina Sidek.

She said this decision had been approved by the Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development (KPWKM), adding that the ministry welcomes cross-ministry collaboration to tackle the issue.

"Our concern is the same as KPWKM’s when it comes to the issue of out-of-wedlock pregnancies. We are focusing on educational agenda, particularly those closely related to reproductive health.

"...from time to time, we conduct advocacy programmes related to reproductive health issues, including joint programmes with KPWKM to address issues such as sexual harassment, girls’ health, safe touch, and bad touch, which we are still implementing at the MOE level,” she told reporters after officiating today’s closing ceremony of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Week at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

Fadhlina added that the PEERS module would empower teachers and students with the necessary information about the issue.

The module will be incorporated into the curriculum under Health Education, starting from preschool to secondary school, where students will be provided with information and skills, particularly psychosocial competencies, to make informed decisions in their daily lives.

Earlier, Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri expressed concern over issues surrounding teenage pregnancies, child marriages, baby dumping, and unsafe abortions in the country.

Citing data from the Health Ministry, Nancy said 44,263 cases of teenage pregnancies have been recorded over the past five years, with 17,646 cases involving unmarried teenagers.

In another development, Fadhlina urged school counsellors to play a vital role in advising students, providing them with information and encouraging them to choose the STEM stream.

She mentioned that MOE has conducted intervention sessions between school counsellors and STEM industry players to ensure they have up-to-date information before passing it on to students.

The USM STEM Week saw the participation of the university’s 15 STEM schools from three campuses — the main campus, the engineering campus, and the Advanced Medical and Dental Institute — along with six collaborators.

A total of 350 lecturers and graduate and postgraduate students conducted various interactive STEM-themed activities alongside 600 students from over 30 schools in Penang. — Bernama