From [email protected] Thu Jan 28 10:56:09 1999
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 06:30:32 -0000
From: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: [linux-edu] Malaysia Smart School project

Malaysia government have lauch the smart school project for quite sometime.

Although I am not in the educational fields, as a IT professional, the project disgust me.

Back in mid 1996, when the concept first bring up, I have discuss it with my friend, which is another IT professional, who involve in groupware development. He went to the Malaysia MSC expo, which I haven't. He went through the smartschool vendors showcase, and what they showing are really shocking.

I am shocking too when I heard what concept this people going to push to the people.

Just look at the following items, you will know what I mean :
  1. Video conferencing for each classroom
  2. Electronic whiteboard, which attach to a server, which record everything draw on the whieteboard.
  3. Each student equip with a PC
  4. All student are though with Office suite application
  5. etc.
I must say this, we are pissed of the idea. The whole Malaysia smartschool idea, to me, it is nothing related to IT, but much towards "Getting money fast scheme" promoted by the vendors.

They try to dump expansive peripherals that have no direct impact on improving the teaching quality. And what really piss me off, somebody buy it.

To Malaysia, we are get used to this "we know it, we know who want it, but we can't do anything on it" culture.

On Dec 1998, Microsoft with the ministry of education have initiate the smart school project by training selected school teachers. The initiate funds given by Microsoft are 10 millions riggit.(USD 1 = RM3.80)

I have post this initiate figure in my last post, and compare the spending with the teachers wages.

In Malaysia, the average classroom size for urban school are 45 pupils, and more than 20% of the school without electrical supply, and proper facility.
Teaching are not prefereable job in the country, due to low salary, average benefit and lack of satisfactory, compare to private field.
I am astonish the no in dept discussion is done before the project start, and I have seen article from Dr. grade people who put a high praise on the project. I agree some of their point, but what really piss me off are their point of view in IT.

Almost all point of view bring out are conceptual, rather than pratical.

Any company will gone broke if they implement the IT model proposed by this non-IT pro.

At last, I have see some valid point bring up. Please refer to the following site for the article http://thestar.com.my/intech/990126/gan26.html

Give me a mail if you can't view the original article. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------


eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/linux-edu
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com