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Enhancing Awareness of Biotechnology in Malaysia: THE ROLE OF AN NGO

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Abstract

This article provides the public awareness on biotechnology in Malaysia.

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... These efforts are made to ensure the success of the government's aspiration to prepare Malaysia as an ideal location for biotechnology players and foreign investors. In addition, millions of dollars has been allocated to achieve the goal of creating 280,000 jobs in this sector with a contribution of five percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2020 (Arujanan, 2007). ...
... In Malaysia it is hoped the industry will contribute not only to the field of medicine and the environment but also produce significant contributions in food production. Various types of animal-based food or plants that went through the process of genetic modification will increase substantially in the market (Arujanan, 2007;Sturgis et. al 2005;Kok & Kuiper, 2003). ...
... Research on stem cells, cloning, gene therapy, and genetically modified crops raised various concerns among stakeholders and the debate is fuelled with issues related to intellectual property rights, ownership, patents, religion, ethical implications, and trade monopolies. The scientific community and other supporters of biotechnology are concerned that the benefits of biotechnology can be overshadowed by the large potential risks that are shown in the media and espoused by the anti-technology league (Arujanan, 2007). The need to create public knowledge and awareness on this matter is very important because the success of the industry in Malaysia depends largely on community acceptance and the ability of society to make informed judgments (Bowling et. ...
Article
Biotechnology has been widely applied in various products throughout the 21st century. Malaysia selected the biotechnology sector as one of the key strategic technologies that would enable Malaysia to transform into a fully developed nation by the year 2020. However, to date, there has been very little research on the level of biotechnology literacy amongst school students in Malaysia and the aim of this study is to determine the presence of biotechnology literacy, based on knowledge, perception, and attitude. Besides, this study also determines the factors affecting the students' attitude towards biotechnology. This study is a quantitative study involving 292 secondary school students from science and non-science classes. The findings showed that overall students have what we describe as a medium level of knowledge, perception, and attitude towards biotechnology. It is anticipated that this pattern of findings can help teachers, the Ministry of Education and the media to strategically plan ahead so that improvements in the national curriculum can be proposed and implemented.
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