Laptops for all students next year

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin meeting Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil teachers at SJKT Simpang Lima in Taman Seri Andalas, Klang, yesterday. Pic by Sairien Nafis

WIFI ACCESS, TOO: Schools to use IT in lessons to impart knowledge

KLANG: ALL national school students will be supplied laptops by next year.

The schools  will also have WiFi access to facilitate teaching and learning, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday.

Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said in developed countries, information technology had become a medium to impart knowledge.

"I have proposed the use of IT in classrooms and the prime minister has agreed that all students will be supplied laptops. This is a commitment that has been included in the Barisan Nasional manifesto which we will fulfil."

He said details of how the laptops were to be supplied, including whether they would be on loan from schools, were not finalised.

He said the Barisan Nasional government had always placed education as the country's most important agenda.

This was evident from the one-fifth allocation in the national budget towards improving the country's education system.

"The Education Ministry receives 16 per cent of the budget while the Higher Education Ministry gets five per cent, meaning 21 per cent goes for education alone."

Muhyiddin also stressed that only the BN government had the experience in ensuring Malaysia can achieve developed nation status within the next few years.

"To become a developed nation, we must be advanced in education and this responsibility is not just the government's, but there must be understanding and cooperation among all stakeholders," he said at a special meeting with Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil (SJKT) teachers at SJKT Simpang Lima in Taman Seri Andalas, here.

He said Malaysia was unique as national type schools were not only allowed but assisted and encouraged. "No other country in the world does this, but we do it because this is our heritage and legacy. We understand that the mother tongue is important for our people."

Muhyiddin also reminded teachers to have passion to teach and not just be teachers for the sake of becoming government servants.

Present were MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar, Education Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Rosli Mohamed and Education director-general Tan Sri Abdul Ghafar Mahmud.

There are 523 SJKTs nationwide with 9,183 teachers and 92,919 students.