Malaysia reenvisions national edtech platform with Google, Apple, Microsoft

• Malaysia’s education ministry has refreshed its virtual learning platform in collaboration
• It’s employing edtech from the likes of Google Classroom, Microsoft, & Apple
• DELIMa has an average of 1.7 million users monthly, and has resources to connect the 370,000 teachers and 2.5 million students in the country

In the wake of the pandemic-driven shift towards online learning in recent months, the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) has unveiled a revamped digital learning platform for students and educators in the country.

The platform is known as DELIMa (“Digital Education Learning Initiative Malaysia”) and is providing a range of e-learning applications and resources that is part of the national requirements of the Malaysian schooling system.

The system has now been updated with educational technology (edtech) enhancements from some of the biggest technology firms, including material from Google Classroom, Microsoft 365 and Apple Teacher Learning Centre.

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year, Ken Research analysts were expecting the Malaysian online learning market to exceed US$2 billion by 2023, driven by increasing demand for education technology and resources such as smart classes and multimedia coursework, along with uptakes in student enrolments. The demand for schooling age digital resources (between kindergarten to 17-years-old) was second only to the demand from higher education institutes, but that was mostly for private schools.

One of DELIMa’s grounding tenets is platform democratization, harnessing a multi-technology ecosystem to make digital learning accessible to all. The MOE’s refreshed platform can be accessed at moe-dl.edu.my and harbors hopes to inculcate student-centric, lifelong learning experiences for its users, as well as to help fulfill educational commitments for the 2.5 million students in the Malaysian schooling system, as the country makes efforts to push its digital transformation agenda.

DELIMa averages about 1.7 million monthly active users, making it one of the largest nationwide deployments of an e-learning platform in the world. Malaysia has around 10,000 schools that were closed for months following the country’s implementation of a movement control order (MCO) to cope with COVID-19 impacts on the economy, and have just reopened.

Virtual learning platforms helped enable millions of students in the country to continue their studies during that period, while businesses also turned to online services to continue training programs. Many popular online platforms have begun offering their own e-learning offerings, most recently social media app TikTok getting in the virtual learning sphere.

Representatives from Google, Microsoft, and Apple also weighed in on how technology and DELIMa in particular are playing an important role in aiding Malaysia’s digital acceleration. “We believe technology is the great equalizer and that when students, educators and parents are connected with the right tools and curricula, we can unlock the creative potential in every learner,” stated Dr Helmi Norman, an Apple Distinguished Educator.

Added Marc Woo, Google Malaysia’s country head, “Education and skills development are the key drivers of overall recovery post-movement control. Whether we continue to adopt digital and distance learning, or embrace a hybrid schooling model, Google is committed to working with the Ministry of Education to keep Malaysia learning.”

Microsoft Malaysia’s managing director, K. Raman, meanwhile pointed out the key aspirations of access, quality, equity, unity and efficiency that were core to the Malaysia Education Blueprint, could be identified in edtech platforms like DELIMa.

“We have long been advocates for technology to enable and enhance education around the world. At Microsoft, we believe in the power of technology to make education more accessible, inclusive and enjoyable, allowing more people to benefit from a quality education, regardless of their surrounding or circumstances,” Raman said. “The integration of technology as seen through the launch of DELIMa is groundbreaking, both in terms of its scale and how uniquely it touches on every aspiration laid out in the Blueprint. This is the beginning of a truly monumental journey and Microsoft is proud to continue partnering with the Malaysian government to help future proof our students.”

---

---

---

---