INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN

SCIENCE
(SSI3013)

CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTATION OF SMART SCHOOL

IN MALAYSIA

Group Member’s Name & Aida Syazana Bt Azmi (D20151070966)

Matric No
Rosfarhana Bt Rozi (D20151070997)
Nur Shaheen Bt Ramzi (D20151070998)

Kumpulan A

Lecturer’s Name En. Azmi Bin Ibrahim

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CONTENT

1.0 INTRODUCTION PAGE 3

2.0 CHALLENGES IN PAGE 5

IMPLEMENTATION OF SMART
SCHOOL IN MALAYSIA

3.0 CONCLUSION PAGE 9

4.0 REFERENCES PAGE 10

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

The definition of the Malaysian smart school is a learning institution that has been
systemically reinvented in terms of teaching learning practices and school management in order
to prepare children for the Information Age. The history of the Smart School is rooted in the two-
pronged objectives of the flagship, which are to jumpstart the MSC towards the building a
knowledge-based economy, contributing to the growth of the ICT industry and creating a pool of
talent resulting in high-value job creation. Next, prepare the citizens for the information age
through an innovative education delivery process. This is because Smart School is not just about
ICT intervention in teaching and learning. Therefore, the Smart Schools initiative is one of the
seven flagship applications are part of Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project. So,
the Government of Malaysia aims to capitalize on the presence of leading-edge technologies and
the rapid development of the MSC’s infrastructure to enable the uses of technologies to school.
Other than that, in the Information Age, a Smart School will evolve over time continuously
developing its professional staff, education resources and its administrative capabilities to adapt
into changing condition while continuing to prepare student life. The curriculum process will
help student achieve overall balanced development and integrate knowledge, skills, values, and
correct use of language.

In Malaysia, smart schools are learning institutions that are reconstructed to fit the
globally evolving world of information and technology. These learning institutions are designed
in terms of teaching and learning practice and school management in order to prepare children
for the life in this Information Age. Based on the purpose of smart school to prepare the children
for the Information Age, smart school is provided with all the technology needed extending from
the school level up to national level. Smart school is equipped with technology that can facilitate
teaching and learning process such as multimedia and assists the school management. These are
among the technology that provided in smart school:

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 The Smart School initiative has five main goals which focus on the need to develop a
skilled work force for the Information Age and to promote the goals of the National Philosophy
of Education. Firstly, is to produce a thinking and technology-literate workforce. Next, to
provide all-round development of the individual which are intellectual, physical, spiritual and
emotional. Emotional and spiritual are one of the subpoint for the goals of smart school that instil
moral and religious values that causes emphasize adaptability, team-player characteristics,
emotional balance and emotional intelligence. Moreover, communication skill is also important
for student that more effective oral and written communication in Malay and English as a second
languages. It is also enhances multiple interpersonal skill and networking. Thirdly, provide
opportunities to enhance individual strengths and abilities. Lastly, increase participation of
stakeholders and democratize education.

2.0 CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTATION OF SMART SCHOOL IN MALAYSIA.

1. Spending Constraints in Syllabus

From interviews with several teachers who lack or do not use computers to aid
teaching and learning they found the main problem they face is a constraint to finish the
syllabus because according to their use of the Internet requires a long time to navigate
and accessible even in terms of their attitude ready to use the computer in teaching. While
Wiburg (1997), says that to build, develop and integrate multimedia resources quite
difficult even have the will to use technology in teaching, with technical skills but limited
time and resources will continue to be a major obstacle in the digital world.

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2. Lack of Infrastructure and Support Materials
Expanding computer literacy education be an important agenda in line with the
national ICT policy in the 21st century. The era of information technology requires
educational systems and institutions to formulate the ultimate goal of school education in
shaping young computer literate and skilled. An important challenge of education in
secondary schools is to provide computer facilities for all students. This means that the
computer facilities are not limited to certain groups of people but involves the entire
student regardless of economic status, social, ethnic, and so on. Sophistication of the ICT
facilities available in secondary schools at this time is not uniform. Some are put
computers in the classroom, some of which put all the computers in the lab. There are
those who owns a connection to the Internet, some are not. Teachers who use the
guidance contained in this document shall first determine the level of ICT infrastructure
capacity available in their schools before planning any learning activities using ICT. This
is to ensure that the activities carried out yielded the optimum fit with the learning
objectives. As a guide, are included under this matrix shows the relationships between the
level of technology and learning.
Challenges of the present and future in the education sector is the provision of a complete
computer infrastructure for the teaching and learning methods. However, the provision of
Internet access alone does not guarantee effective teaching learning on-line. Attitude of
teachers and students on the use of technology must be considered to ensure its
effectiveness as a method of teaching.

3. ICT and Digital Divide

Imbalances in society and especially in economic terms, income, education,
infrastructure. modernization and so will affect the progress of ICT and digital. School,
education and the teaching profession in the country should play a constructive role to
address the digital divide and ICT that happens, especially in rural areas and among
ethnic groups. Schools and the teaching profession should give serious attention to bridge
the gap of digital ICT and ICT education program to expand opportunities and master the
knowledge and digital skills, particularly among poor and rural students. More funding

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 and trained teachers in the field of ICT and digital should be provided to assist students
and school mission and vision to build a community of IT and digital society.

4. Teachers are not prepared to use and teach using technology.

Teachers that had been teaching for a long time find that to use ICT in classroom
is a burden as they do not have sufficient skills in the ICT and they are more comfortable
with traditional methods that they use ever since. Therefore, it affects teachers willing to
use new technology to teach in the classroom. Onwards, students are more ready to
embrace the new ICT tools than the teachers because they are more advance than teachers
on using technology. As teachers, they should enhance their knowledge about the use of
technology in the classroom so that students do not look down on teachers because they
are knowledgeable from teachers. Teachers can also attend several sub courses offered to
learn how to use technology.

5. Inadequate Financial Resources

The school does not have sufficient financial resources to finance the cost of
various information technology usage will return to conventional learning. Weaknesses
of the school leadership is committed to the use of ICT can also cause missed school
from current premier change occurring. Schools also failed to play a positive role in
developing students to computer literacy, especially in rural areas. This change will
provide a big challenge for instructors. They should be prepared enhance the knowledge
and skills to make computers as teaching and learning technology replaces a less
conventional approach based on technological innovation.

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6. Limited time
Smart school implementation face the challenge in time consumption, where the
task need to be done with the presence of the technologies that need to be prepare and
require much time. These include the time needed to locate Internet device, prepare
lessons, explore and practice using the technology, deal with technical problems, and
receive adequate training. Teachers faced lack of time when they have to plan technology
lessons, explore different Internet sites or look at various aspects of educational software.
Apart from that, lack of time can affects the teachers working ability to complete the
tasks.

7. Technological failure : internet connectivity and limited technical support

The problem at the school is the internet connection is too slow and rarely can be
access due to many students and teachers use it at the same time. Apart from it, it is hard
for students and teachers to find information from the internet due to the limited access.
Without both good technical supports in the classroom and whole‐school resources,
teachers cannot be expected to overcome the obstacles preventing them from using ICT.
Technical problems were found to be a major barrier for teachers. These technical
barriers included waiting for websites to open, failing to connect to the Internet, printers
not printing, malfunctioning computers, and teachers having to work on old computers.
ICT supports and maintenance contracts in schools help teachers to use ICT in classroom
without losing their teaching time to fix the software and hardware problems. Technical
supports need to be allocated at the Smart school to ensure the technologies are well
maintained and can ensure that the technologies are in good conditions for a long time.

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3.0 CONCLUSION

Implementation of Smart school is a good way to improve our education in

Malaysia. This is because, from Smart school, we are able to produce students that are
compatible in using the technologies in their studies. From Smart school also can enhance
the learning abilities of the students so that they can learn more and wider as they can
access to many source when learning. Apart from it, teachers also be able to enhance the
skill of teaching and their knowledge about the ICT so that students can have benefits
from it. Smart school is planning to provide platform solid to form the next generation of
Malaysian nation and shaping the country's future development. The existence of a smart
school is in line with the development of information technology and communication
(ICT), it is a scene in the new millennium education in Malaysia and in accordance with
the technological developments,social and cultural present. Smart school in simply be
defined as a system of education, where the based teaching and learning for students with
a more critical and creative ways to use technology as enablers. ICT use as an ingredient
in the process of teaching and learning is the heart of the smart school. This approach is
not limited in curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, teaching and learning, but also in school
management.

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4.0 REFERENCES

(n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2018, from Challenges of Smart School:

https://www.scribd.com/document/136158167/CHALLENGES-OF-SMART-SCHOOL

Hassan Mirzajani, M. D. (2016). Smart Schools an Innovation in Education: Malaysian's Experience. Asian
Journal of Education and Training, 11-15.

Simin Ghavifekr, T. K. (n.d.). Teaching and Learning with ICT Tools:Issues and Challenges from Teachers'
Perceptions. Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Technology, 38-57.

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