35,000 Malaysian Teachers receive Intel? Centrino? Notebook PCs


KUALA LUMPUR - /Wi-Fi Technology News/- April 3, 2004 - Malaysia's Ministry of Education announced that 35,000 teachers are now equipped with Intel? Centrino? mobile technology-based notebook PCs to help improve teaching techniques.

Reflecting the Ministry's goal to integrate technology into Malaysia's primary and secondary school curriculum, the new notebooks will also provide teachers with greater freedom to connect in new places and in new ways.

The deployment of the 35,000 Intel Centrino mobile technology-based notebooks is the first phase of the Ministry's five-year technology integration plan, which also includes enabling all schools with Wi-Fi.

"By providing teachers with state-of-the-art notebooks, the Ministry of Education hopes to inspire a whole new generation of teachers that will integrate technology into their lesson plans, making the learning experience more effective for their students. For example, teachers can show students visual diagrams in 3-D, or access online lesson resources in real time," said Tan Sri Musa Mohamad, former minister of education, Malaysia.

"Technology is the catalyst for a new breed of teachers who constantly look for creative approaches in teaching, ultimately enriching the classroom experience for students. PC and Internet usage in the classroom have already inspired higher test scores and positive feedback from teachers and students. The latest wireless technologies deliver on the promise of engaging teachers and students in active learning that is not constrained to a PC lab environment," said Tan Sri Musa. "Our teachers can also use technology to increase their knowledge and skill level, which is then transferred directly to students. This kind of knowledge transfer is a prerequisite that will help fuel Malaysia's future generation of knowledge workers."

Mrs. Debbie Tan, a teacher at SMK Padang Tembak, believes the notebooks will greatly improve the education environment for both teachers and students. "I was really excited to receive a Wi-Fi enabled notebook from the Ministry when this program was rolled out in my school. This technology has opened up a whole new world of possibilities that will challenge and encourage us to improve our teaching performance."

"The Ministry of Education has a vision for the Malaysian school system to be one of the most advanced systems within Asia and worldwide. Its adoption of technology demonstrates great foresight in its planning Malaysia's future education," said Peter Choong, country manager, Intel Malaysia.

"Not only will teachers benefit now from the added freedom and flexibility of creating and delivering lesson plans beyond the four walls of a classroom setting, but by investing in the latest wireless-enabled technology, the Ministry of Education is ensuring that its investment in performance PCs and wireless capability will give schools headroom for future growth and new learning and teaching models. This protects the ministry's investment and provides the option of rolling out new education programs at lower costs in the future," said Choong.

Intel's commitment and collaboration with the Ministry of Education traces back to 2000 and the rollout of Intel? Innovation in Education programs in Malaysia, such as Intel? Teach to the Future. To date, Intel has helped to train more than 21,000 teachers in how to explore and develop new and effective ways of incorporating technology into their lesson plans for their students.

Representing Intel's best technology for mobile PCs, Intel Centrino mobile technology was specifically designed for mobility, and includes a new mobile processor, related chipsets and 802.11 wireless network capability that have been optimized, tested and validated to work together. In addition to its integrated wireless capability, the notebooks include features designed to enable extended battery life, thinner-and-lighter notebook designs and outstanding mobile performance.

Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at http://www.intel.com.