• MOE and MDEC work with industry partners to expand the reach of Digital Maker Hubs to a total of 188 spaces by the end of 2021.
• As a result of using a Digital Maker Hub, within 3 months, a student builds a traffic light system using Python, supervised by teacher and trainer.

CYBERJAYA, 6 APRIL 2021: Following the successful efforts to establish Digital Maker Hubs in 24 schools in 2020, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) have recently embarked on an initiative to scale this model to more schools around the country via public-private-partnerships.

Digital Maker Hubs are spaces to learn and practise digital creativity and innovation, or spaces equipped with digital maker facilities and courses, where students can create and invent projects and learn new things using a variety of digital making tools and materials.

Recognising the importance of such spaces, MoE is looking to expand the reach and value of these hubs by partnering with industry players and other like-minded organizations to achieve their target of equipping 188 places with Digital Maker Hubs by end of this year. This includes an additional 9 schools nationwide presently.

“MoE has seen promising results from the Digital Maker Hubs via MDEC’s early efforts, specifically in strengthening digital creativity and innovation amongst students. We are keen to replicate this model in other schools and look forward to more industry players and government agencies coming on board to equip more schools and community places with such tools. MDEC’s initiatives such as this one, are aimed at creating a future-ready workforce, by equipping them with digital skills required to meet the demands of digital jobs,” said Puan Maznah Abu Bakar, the Director of BSTP.

The availability of such spaces is key to nurturing the younger generation for future jobs. The World Economic Forum in its 2020 Future of Jobs Report, estimates that 85 million jobs will be displaced by automation by the year 2025, yet 97 million new jobs will be created within the same time frame, largely in roles that require data and digital tech skills.

MDEC, mandated to lead the digital economy into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) as the nation progresses towards Malaysia 5.0, first championed and implemented Digital Maker Hubs in 2018, under the #mydigitalmaker Movement. The said movement is a joint public-private-academia initiative to introduce and nurture digital competencies among Malaysian students. It falls under MDEC’s Digitally Skilled Malaysians, a key pillar under the agency’s strategic framework to accelerate the nation’s digital economy vision for the many.

“Despite the pandemic posing challenges in education and talent development, MDEC remains committed to working with ecosystem partners to equip young learners to be future-ready. Organisations that support the establishment of Digital Maker Hubs will be providing much-needed assistance to young talents, equipping them with critical skills needed to advance the digital economy. MDEC is creating possibilities and opportunities with limitless boundaries with technology, eventually bridging the digital divide,” commented Dr Sumitra Nair, Head of Digital Skills and Jobs, MDEC.

As a testament to this initiative, Aufa Aleesya binti Adam Zainuri (12) is a fine example of the success of this programme. She learned how to write a facial recognition code and make a virtual piano using Raspberry Pi 3 B+, besides learning coding via EV3 & Rero Micro Robot, with tools and resources available at the Digital Maker Hubs.

“I built a traffic light system using Python supervised by my teacher and program trainer in three months. I love all these activities so much. Thank you, Mydigitalmaker and MDEC, for giving this opportunity to me and my school,” said Aufa Aleesya, a student at SK Merbok Pusat(Kedah) upon using the facilities at the Digital Maker Hub in her school.

Besides equipping 24 schools with Digital Maker Hubs, MDEC has also worked with various NGOs, state governments, universities and enterprises to establish 67 Digital Maker Hubs outside schools, totalling 90. A full list of all these Digital Maker Hubs, can be obtained from https://mdeccorporatew.wpengine.com/ms/mydigitalmaker/dmh/

MOE and MDEC would like to invite sponsors from corporates and industry players to support schools and community places that have been earmarked for the establishment of Digital Maker Hubs.

For more information, kindly contact:

i.Abdul Aziz bin Abu Seman
Ketua Penolong Pengarah
Unit Teknik dan Vokasional
Sektor Pembangunan Bahan Pembelajaran
03-2081 7640 / 019-2225758
abdulaziz@moe.gov.my

ii.Sudheep Ramasamy
Penolong Pengarah
Unit Operasi
Sektor Pembangunan Bahan Pembelajaran
03-2081 7631 / 012-6042685
sudheep@moe.gov.my

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About Digital Maker Hub
Digital Maker Hub (DMH) are multipurpose resource rooms bringing the school and community members together. It creates a space for students, educators, parents, industry experts together to encourage the activity of digital making. DMHs are owned and initiated by a variety like-minded organisation including state governments, universities, NGOs, schools, and educational tech (EdTech) companies, connecting key players to encourage the sharing of resources effectively collaborating on a platform supporting digital making. DMH is equipped with diverse tools, materials and learning resources which are made available for the public to embark on digital making projects via awareness programmes and digital making classes.

About Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)
Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is a government agency under the purview of the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia entrusted to lead Malaysia’s digital economy forward.

Incorporated in 1996 to oversee the development of the MSC Malaysia initiative, MDEC’s primary mandate today is to accelerate the growth of digitally-skilled Malaysians, digitally-powered businesses and digital investments in Malaysia. MDEC is focused on creating inclusive, high-quality growth through the nationwide digitalisation initiatives that are in line with the Government’s Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 and firmly establishing Malaysia as the Heart of Digital ASEAN.

#LetsBuildTogether #DigitalMalaysiaForward

To find out more about MDEC’s Digital Economy initiatives, please visit us at www.corpwebv3prd.wpengine.com or follow
us on:
Facebook: @mymdec
Twitter: @mymdec

Contact:
Dashika Gnaneswaran, dashika.gnaneswaran@mdec.com.my
Shobha Janardanan, shobha.janardanan@mdec.com.my