NEWS: MSC firms dive into IPTV e-learning programmes

CYBERJAYA: The next step in e-learning is making educational programmes for IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) for students, especially those in the nation’s computer-equipped smart schools.

This is the reason two MSC Malaysia-status companies — Telekom Smart School Sdn Bhd (TSS) and Zeal Hi Tech Sdn Bhd — are working with a South Korean company, Dunet Inc, to develop such programmes.

“We will be able to raise the standard of learning, as well as increase ICT (information and communications technology) adoption in Malaysia,” said TSS chief executive officer Zainuddin Ismail.

Azman Awalludin, managing director at Zeal, said the country’s High-Speed Broadband (HSBB) initiative will play a part in making e-learning via IPTV even more relevant in the near future.

Dunet, which is regarded as an e-learning solutions expert, will help the two local companies gather expertise to develop products for Malaysia and the world.

“The venture will also allow us to pool our strengths and come up with a standard for developing content for e-learning via IPTV,” Azman said.

This will be a world-class benchmark for industry players in the country so that they can penetrate global markets.

Holly Lee, Dunet’s marketing manager, said the venture will involve technology and knowledge transfers between the three companies.

Norrizan Razali, senior manager of the Smart School Department at the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), said the companies have until August to draw up standards for e-learning content, and must deliver some solutions by October.

MDeC, the custodian of the MSC Malaysia initiative, expects the local e-learning solutions development sector to generate a revenue of RM10mil and create about 2,000 jobs in the next five years.