DATE / TIME:

2017•09•12    10:00 - 11:00

Location:

Guimarães

Speaker

Megat is currently a Government Fellow at the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV), located in Guimarães, Portugal. He is also a Senior Superintendent Electrical Engineer at Public Works Department (PWD) of Malaysia. He holds a Professional Engineer degree in Electrical Engineering from the Board of Engineers Malaysia since 2008.

Since his 20-year tenure at PWD, he has been responsible for the implementation of more than RM 2 billion (USD 500 million) worth of ICT Systems, Telecommunication Systems, Renewable Energy, Electronic Security System and Hospital Information System projects.

He has been appointed as the leader for the Young Strategist group to formulate and strategize the future of the Department in the perspective of the middle managers and young engineers.  In addition, he has also been recognized by his current organization as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) in ICT and Telecommunication.

He is a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from the Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia with a thesis titled: “External Networking, Leadership Style and Innovation on Organizational Performance in Malaysian Construction Industry”. He has written some articles in some journals about Total Hospital Information System (THIS) in Malaysia, Bridging the Digital Divide in Rural Areas in Malaysia and Innovation in Malaysia’s Construction Industry.

Megat research interests include, among others Hospital Information System, Digital Divide, Electronic Governance and Innovation in Construction Industry.

Abstract

The immense availability of information in the internet, demands for a faster connection speed, namely broadband. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) reported that the fixed broadband subscription per 100 inhabitants in 2015 in Malaysia was at 9.9, higher than the average rate of the Asia and Pacific region, which is at 6.8 percent. Although the overall broadband penetration rate of Malaysia is at a high level, it is indicated that out of the total 16 states there are 12 states with rates below the national average (99.80 percent) and only 4 states with rates that are higher. Hence, such high rate nationally, may not provide the actual representation of the whole country.

Apart from the established fact that broadband has a significant influence on economic growth; it is also indicated as an enabler of social transformation. Acknowledging its significance, the Malaysia Education Blueprint by the Ministry of Education (MOE) 2013-2025 strategized in leveraging ICT as one of the shift mechanisms to scale up the quality of learning in achieving a world class education system. In 2012, Malaysia spent 5.7 percent of the GDP on education, higher than other countries within the region such as Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore at 4.6, 3.7, 3.4 and 3.1 percent respectively. A total of RM6 billion (USD 1.5 billion), were spent for the Smart School projects equipping more than 10,000 schools with ICT facilities including computers, computer labs and broadband connections aiming for greater education performance.

Nevertheless, the education performance in Malaysia has not shown much progress and at some instances has worsened. In year 2009, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) conducted by OECD, ranked Malaysian students’ minimum proficiency in Reading, Science and Mathematics at number 55, 57 and 52 respectively, below the international average and fell behind countries with lesser ICT initiatives spending such as South Korea, Singapore and Thailand. Moreover, the results between 2013 and 2015 of the two major nationwide examinations namely Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR), and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) have not shown prominent increase in performance albeit the high spending on ICT in the education system.

Although it is well established that ICT has tremendous potential to accelerate learning, the outcomes so far have not been established in the performance of education system in Malaysia. If a study was undertaken to look into further details of the situation of the below-average states, would provide a more comprehensive outlook on the broadband penetration rate and its linkage on Malaysia education policy. Hence, this study aims to examine the relationship of broadband penetration rate on the education performance of primary and secondary schools in Malaysia. The outcome of this research will provide a point of reference for the government of Malaysia as well other relevant governments to review on the ICT initiatives particularly on the education system.