The Impact of Broadband Penetration on the Student Performance in Primary and Secondary School in Malaysia

The fixed broadband subscription in Malaysia is reported to be higher than the average rate of the Asia and Pacific region - based on the World Bank classification. Although the overall rate of Malaysia is at a high level, there are 12 states out of a total of 16 states with the rates below the national average. Hence, the high rate nationally may not provide the actual representation of the whole country due to the digital divide phenomenon. Apart from the established fact that broadband has played a significant influence on economic growth, it is also indicated that the broadband is also an enabler of social transformation - one of which is education. Up to 2012 Malaysia spent 5.7 percent of the GDP on education, higher than Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore. Although a big portion of this expenditure was on ICT, the education performance in Malaysia has not shown much progress. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2009 ranked Malaysian students' minimum proficiency in Reading, Science and Mathematics below the international average. Furthermore, the performance of the two major nationwide examinations namely Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) have not shown convincing results of the ICT's role on education. Hence, this study examines the relationship between the broadband penetration rate in Malaysia and the education performance at the primary and secondary levels in every state in Malaysia. The outcome of the study indicates that broadband penetration rate has a greater association with the performance of secondary school students in comparison to the primary school.