High-speed Internet for all schools soon - MOE

SHAH ALAM - The Education Ministry (MOE) is working to equip all schools nationwide with high-speed internet coverage, especially in rural areas.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said that the ministry has provided broadband internet access with speeds ranging from 30 Mbps to 300 Mbps to 10,237 schools through the Interim Internet Service Package.

Of these schools, 4,957 have been provided with fibre optic connections, 4,681 have been equipped with wireless 4G broadband, and 599 have been connected through satellite links.

"Currently, internet access in schools is primarily available in computer labs, teacher rooms, and administrative offices.

"However, we are planning to implement the Integrated MoE Internet Network (MoE.Net), which will provide high-speed internet access to all classrooms in schools," Fadhlina told Sinar Daily.

MoE.Net will prioritise fibre technology with speeds ranging from a minimum of 100 Mbps to 1,500 Mbps, depending on the size and population of the educational institution.

"MoE.Net will also enhance the internal network infrastructure, enabling internet access from all locations within MoE-affiliated premises," Fadhlina said.

In addition to providing high-speed internet access, the ministry is also implementing a new Pedagogy and Learning (PdP) method through a hybrid classroom pilot for 110 selected educational institutions, involving 550 classrooms.

The hybrid classroom pilot aims to blend digital and face-to-face PdP within the same ecosystem.

This will allow cross-class and cross-school PdP to be conducted, including internationally, while experts from various fields can be engaged to enhance the quality of education delivery among teachers and students.

As part of the hybrid classroom pilot implementation, all these classrooms will have upgraded electrical wiring and will be equipped with digital facilities such as Smartboards, smart TVs, camera sets, and audio recorders (air mics).

The internal network infrastructure (Local Area Network - LAN) will also be upgraded to enable internet access in all these classrooms.

"By implementing this hybrid classroom initiative, the capacity for digital education can be strengthened to improve PdP quality," Fadhlina said.