As information technology approaches the major centres in the region and affects social and commercial life in many countries, the education sector has been slow in the assimilation of new technologies. The reasons behind this are numerous: the cost of the equipment, the technical training and schools and teachers’ reluctance to enter a new and unknown domain.

APDIP has formulated an in-country project proposal to take an electronic classroom to schools in the rural or non-urban areas for demonstrative and instructional purposes.

The project is managed by MIMOS, funded partly by UNDP and supported by MIMOS’ partners - automobile industry, local universities and the Selangor State Education department, Ministry of Education of Malaysia.

The MIU consists of a 44-seater bus renovated into a cyber learning station which goes round the schools to provide ICT training and electronic classroom experience as well as collecting strategic information and data for future national ICT planning purposes. It consists of 15 Internet ready networked computers, a server, a 56 Kbps modem, a printer cum fax, copy and scan machine, a big screen television, DVD player, ICT training modules and computer reference books.

The curriculum and contents focus on basic ICT skills. These include the basic computing skills, basic Internet services and e-learning experiences. "The demand from the community is excellent, everybody wants to have their first Internet experience on the bus," said Hajjah Kamariah Haroon, the principal of SMK Sungai Pelek.

In order to sustain students, teachers and parents knowledge on the Internet, the school plans to organize a programme in a computer centre.

The Mobile Internet Unit (MIU) was chosen as one of the finalists, out of 612 ICT projects contested worldwide in the Stockholm Challenge Award 2000, Sweden.

Contact person:

Mr. James George Chacko
Programme Specialist
Access & Partnerships Development
Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP)
james@apdip.net