Deputy education minister Wong Kah Woh said this is part of the ministry’s broader effort to foster digital proficiency within the learning ecosystem, which has been implemented in 110 selected educational institutions, including rural schools.

“This initiative encompasses 550 classes that began in 2021, featuring smart classrooms equipped with smartboard technology, digital equipment, smart televisions, camera sets and voice recorders,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a question by Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (PH-Ledang) on efforts to build digital skills, in addition to the methods used to solve equipment constraints in rural schools.

Wong said the ministry assesses students’ digital skills through the Digital Competency Score report, in which rural students achieved an average score of 3.24 out of 5 last year, compared with the national average of 3.31.

“The average score for students in urban schools is significantly higher, at 3.34 out of 5,” he said.

Wong said the ministry has launched a new initiative to acquire internet services from July this year to June 2025, including in rural schools.

On the digital competence of teachers, he said that 306,338 teachers screened as of last month were classified as advanced, 86,062 were basic and 272,179 intermediate.

“The ministry has acknowledged certain teachers who have reached an advanced level as ‘guru jauhari digital’,” he said.