AYER KEROH: Access to free ICT education for public school students is part of the Government’s long-term strategy to narrow the rural-urban digital literacy gap.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein said exposing the children to ICT (information and communications technology) would help the nation develop a pool of citizens equipped with essential skills for the 21st century global marketplace.
He was speaking after visiting Sekolah Kebangsaan Ayer Keroh, one of the 10 schools in the country that is participating in a pilot project involving US chipmaker Intel Corp’s Classmate PC, on Monday.
The Classmate PC, priced at US$300 (RM1,050), is a special low-cost laptop designed by Intel for education purposes.
It is part of Intel’s 1:1 e-learning programme that is aimed at providing schools with affordable ICT tools that will enable teachers and students to experience and use the Internet, a wide range of software and other digital resources.
“I can see what a positive impact the 1:1 e-learning model has on the critical thinking, communication and digital literacy skills of my students,” said Hanida Mohd Nor, a teacher in SK Ayer Keroh.
“My students have shifted from learning about technology to learning with technology. I am inspired to be a better teacher so that I can share my students’ enthusiasm and imagination,” she said, according to a press statement from Intel.
Intel donated 460 units of its Classmate PC to 10 selected public schools across Malaysia in April for the pilot project.
The laptop is based on a Celeron M processor and is equipped with 1GB of NAND Flash memory, which acts as a robust hard disk drive. The device has a 7in display and runs Windows XP.
Intel said it would continue to work closely with the Education Ministry to monitor and evaluate the development of its pilot project.
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