Contents

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 2
2. Objectives and Main Goals of Smart School .............................................................................. 3
2.1 Objectives of Smart School .................................................................................................. 3
2.2 Main Goals of Smart School ................................................................................................ 3
3. The Component of Smart School ................................................................................................. 4
4. The Challenges of Smart School ..................................................................................................... 6
4.1 Students.................................................................................................................................. 6
4.2 Teacher................................................................................................................................... 8
4.3 School ..................................................................................................................................... 9
4.4 Parents ................................................................................................................................. 10
5. Summary...................................................................................................................................... 12
6. References .................................................................................................................................... 13

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1. Introduction
"Smart School" is one that uses a technology platform as a medium on which distance
learning and specific teaching expertise are available to remote locations including the home,
without compromise to the quality of information transfer and certified teaching methods
developed locally, regionally or internationally. Smart School in Malaysia focusing in
development of learning institution that construct a systematic teaching learning and school
management in order to prepare children for Information Age.

The Smart School Project was one of the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)
flagships. The Ministry set a target of total migration of its more than 10,000 primary and
secondary schools into Smart School by the year 2010. The Smart School concept is a long-
term plan for the national educational system to produce highly skilled and knowledgeable
human capital in terms of ICT and as a paradigm shift in the educational system. The Smart
School will play a crucial role in providing a strong foundation for the pupils to develop and
increase their abilities as individuals. (Bajunid, 2008)

The Smart School Project will be a stepping-stone to spearhead ICT integration and
implementation not only in teaching and learning but also across the educational system in
Malaysia. Skills and knowledge of ICT will be centre stage in Smart School and play a vital
role in the school management systems. The Malaysian Smart School is a learning institution
that has been systemically reinvented in terms of teaching-learning practices and school
management in order to prepare children for the Information Age.

The Malaysian Smart School has the following qualities such as a philosophy that says
all students can learn if taught, coupled with high expectations for all students, a broad
curriculum that considers the different capabilities and needs of all students, a school climate
that is conducive to learning, anon-going assessment that supports good instruction, strong and
professional principals and teachers and a high level of parent and community involvement and
support.

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2. Objectives and Main Goals of Smart School

2.1 Objectives of Smart School

The history of the Smart School Project is rooted in the two-pronged objectives of the
flagship, which are to jumpstart the MSC towards building a knowledge-based economy,
contributing to the growth of the ICT industry and creating a pool of talent resulting in high-
value job creation. The other objective of the Smart School is to prepare the citizens for the
information age through an innovative education delivery process. Smart School Project also
will bridge the digital divide in worldwide and to cultivate life-long learning all stage of ages
based on ICT.

The Smart Schools initiative is one of the seven flagship applications that are part of
Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project. The Government of Malaysia aims to
capitalise on the presence of leading-edge technologies and the rapid development of the
MSC’s infrastructure to jump-start deployment of enabling technology to schools. This will be
done by creating a group of 90 pilot Smart Schools by 1999 that will serve as the nucleus for
the eventual nation-wide rollout of Smart School teaching concepts and materials, skills, and
technologies. By 2010, all 10,000 of Malaysia’s primary and secondary schools will be Smart
Schools. (Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan )

2.2 Main Goals of Smart School

The Smart School initiative has five main goals, which focus on the need to develop a
skilled work force for the Information Age and to promote the goals of the National Philosophy
of Education.

First goal is to produce a thinking and technology-literate workforce. The second goal
of Smart School Project is to provide all around development of the individual in the aspects
of intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual. Third goal is to provide opportunities to
enhance individual strengths and abilities. Fourth goal is to increase participation stakeholders.
Lastly, the main goals of the Smart School Project is to democratise education in Malaysia.
(Hengtiger, 2012)

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3. The Component of Smart School
The Smart School teaching and learning environment will be shaped in four main areas,
which are curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and teaching-learning material. Each of these
point will be a critical element in defining the overall teaching and learning experience for
Smart School children.

The Smart School Curriculum will be designed according to best practices of other
successful Smart Schools, incorporating elements that will enable the education system to
achieve the goals of the National Philosophy of Education which is specially designed to help
students achieve overall and balanced development, integration of knowledge, skills, values
and correct use of language across the curriculum, intended learning outcomes explicitly stated
for different levels of abilities, ensuring all students gain equal access to quality learning, and
allowing for self-paced learning across grades.

Other than that The Smart School Curriculum also important in multidisciplinary,
thematic, and continuous across learning areas and integration of knowledge, skills, and
attitudes suitable for the Information Age. Pedagogy student-centered learning is one of the
Smart School component. Its allow for appropriate mix of learning strategies to ensure mastery
of basic competencies and promotion of holistic development, encouragement of learning
activities to promote creativity and experimentation with content-independent subjects while
maintaining sufficient rigor in content dependent subjects. Overall, trend towards student-
centered learning activities will be increase in age and maturity aspect. In another words,
pedagogy also allowing for individual differences in learning styles in boosting performance.
The classroom atmosphere is compatible with different teaching-learning strategies.

Another key factor in choosing classroom environments is the need to deal with
diversity of skills, abilities, and enthusiasm levels in every group of students. A growing body
of research suggests that many students have learning styles that are not catered for in
traditional classroom environments. The Smart School assessment system will involve a
significant departure from traditional assessment systems, which are holistic, element-based,
criterion referenced, learner-centered, online, conducted in various forms by using multiple
approaches and instruments. The assessment is designed to give accurate feedback ofstudents’
readiness, progress, achievement and aptitude especially in the class room. The holistic as it
compiles not only the accomplishment but also the preparedness, continuity, and the ability of
student in learning environment. One of the assessment component which is holistic for The

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Smart School have play its own role. Firstly, the preparedness is the ability of learners to have
different experiences and their levels of entry in certain learning area that need to be assessed
wisely. Secondly, the student continuity in achieving certain learning missions need to be well
monitored and have to be diagnosed to their force and feebleness as well. Different learners
have different ability styles of learning and multiple intelligences which really necessary to be
identified. Other than that, smart school assessment system has the element-based assessment
that are focusing on the factor that students possess develop through various area of studies
such as communication which is the aptitude to show ideas, social-emotional development that
the ability to work collaboratively in a team, cognitive development that acts as quantities
measurement and also the science and technology which implements the hypothesis formulate.

The Smart School Teaching-Learning Material will be designed to fully support the
new teaching-learning strategies for Smart School which are cognitively challenging and
motivating by combining the best of network-based, teacher-based, and courseware materials.
Basically the materials used will have curricular and instructional needs, which is cost
effective, as well as cosmetically and technically adequate. Besides that, teaching-learning
material also cognitively challenging, attractive, motivates students to learn, encourage active
participation, and combination the best of network-based teacher-based and coursework
materials. The benefit are accommodates student for different needs and abilities resulting in
the fuller realisation of students' capabilities and potential, student take responsibility for
managing and directing their own learning. (Aprell, 2017)

Conceptual selection and evaluation guidelines for teaching-learning materials will

cover five main criteria, which are cosmetic adequacy, technique adequacy, instruction
adequacy, cost effectiveness, and curriculum adequacy. Smart School teachers will be enabled,
through the use of technology, to consider student’s individual learning preferences in
designing and recommending instructional methods and materials because student have
different learning styles and they will need a variety of materials to maximize their learning
potential. Today conventional media, commonly used in educational settings, which still
feature in Smart Schools. They can be divided into three main categories, which is printed
(paper based), 3D object and audio/video. Conventional media will be used in an integrated
manner with high-technology media, like computer-based teaching-learning materials and
software that fulfil the various needs and capabilities of students. Teaching-learning materials
will be acquired from a wide range of sources, and will no longer be limited by resources within

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schools. In addition to libraries, businesses, homes, government departments, other sources
include edunet, internet and classified printed directories.

4. The Challenges of Smart School

4.1 Students
Students are given an excellent opportunity to develop not just a study skills, but also many
other skills useful in life. These skills will help them to succeed in challenging tasks after
school. Smart schools have successfully regained excellence and accountability in Malaysian
education. They have managed in addressing some relevant issues such as skills and
responsibilities.

Firstly, the challenges in aspect of learners is that learner’s process. As we know, students
nowadays are not too active or passive in teaching and learning process. Students will become
passive when technologies is used in teaching and learning process. Study skills guides for
students as such active listening, reading comprehension, notetaking, stress management, time
management and memorization should be important not to focus on their computer only. But,
Smart School programmes will allow students to learn at their own process. Smart schools are
successful proceed on using multimedia system through students. Also, they can correctly
employ the multimedia in teaching-learning process. If students learn through ICT medium,
they can get individual attention from their teachers.

Students are less intelligent will be given more attention by teachers. They need to improve
their skills and knowledge about ICT. This is because students need to learn using CD to
strengthen their understanding. The CD consists of animations, simulations, videos and audios.
They will have a problem when doing their homework or tasks because lack of ICT skills and
knowledge. The basic skills that they must have is computer skill. Having the skills will make
students easier to adapt and follow the Smart School’s environment. Students can learn by
using the CD provided in the book. So far, there is no any problem to students who study at
urban school because mostly of them are advanced in technologies and easy to adapt Smart
School’s environment.

Unfortunately, it really challenging to students who study at rural school when the
curriculum was changed. Most of the rural students less exposed to technologies and basic

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skills of computer. When their school transformed to Smart School, they will be loss. This is
because Smart School prefer to use technologies in teaching and learning process instead of
chalk-and-talk concept. The software that are created and designed to facilitate the student’s
active, creative and critical engagement with the content which can help enhance the active
construction and reconstruction of ideas and experiences of their understanding of the
content presented them.

So by different types of students in urban and rural school, it is really challenge to students
adapt new environment. All students have the ability to learn and progress, which can be
enhanced by using appropriate learning technologies. Student’s role is very important in
determine whether the Smart School is succeed or not. They should learnt how to consequence
of thinking, and good thinking is learnable. Smart School also apply the learning should include
deep understanding, which involves the flexible, active use of knowledge. Thus, the students
have to adapt to the way of the Smart School.

Smart Schools for enhancing the learning of students have effectively used computers, the
Internet and other high band communication technology such as video-conferencing and now
satellite data streaming and satellite radio. In sharp contrast to traditional schools, Smart
Schools offer an open environment for learning.

Besides that, students also learn how to process and manipulate information. They will
trained to thin creatively and critically to reflect on what they have learned. Students will need
to be taught strategies to competently and selectively navigate for information.
In Malaysia, the curriculum of Smart School is open-ended in two ways there are it is open to
revision and continued refinement and it provides open access to all students for internet using,
allowing students to go beyond explicitly stated learning outcomes in curriculum documents.

The curriculum focuses on significant goals. In this case all students, including those with
special needs can develop the critical skills and acquire the knowledge they need for effective
lifelong learning and full functioning as citizens in a changing society and in this challenging
life. The goal of the smart school is compatible with the goals of education country and the
desire of Vision 2020.

At the end of Smart school programmes, students should be encourage to be more

independent in the process of acquiring knowledge and able to carry out learning process by
its own self not only depends on teachers. It also can proportion to access learning self. This

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way, they can maximize their potential to the extent more brilliant. Lastly, to provide a good
students that effectively get information and communication technology (ICT) to compete and
meet the challenges in the 21st century.

4.2 Teacher
The most challenges in implementation of smart school is teachers because the lack of
technological skills among teachers despite the training. Teachers described their training as
having failed to address their real needs about “how” and “when” to use technology in their
lessons. There is a number of factors included inadequate financial support, insufficient time
for teachers to develop lesson plans using computers, and the lack of accessibility to and
availability of computers and peripherals, as hindrances to the utilisation of computer based
technology by teachers.

Furthermore, many teachers simply did not want to use computers for teaching even
when they were available. This was because they were not committed to the cause. Neither was
there any commitment from the school administrators. The relationship between commitment
and leadership is important as the two factors are prerequisites for the successful
implementation of innovations. The four barrier that would impede technology adoption are
resources, institutional and administrative barriers, institutional barriers relating to training and
experience and barriers related to teachers’ attitudes and fear. Resource barriers are issues
related to tools and their application. They include technology related problems, insufficient
computers, peripherals and software licenses, outdated hardware or software, limited Internet
access, as well as slow or intermittent Internet connections.

Institutional and administrative barriers relate to contextual and cultural factors,

teaching schedules and time constraints. All the teachers highlighted lack of time as a barrier
to them using the tools actively. This is because of that they not only had teaching
responsibilities but also duties such as co-curricular, administrative and other responsibilities.
Moreover, the education system in Malaysia is very examination-oriented. A school’s
performance is judged based on its achievement in public examinations. Teachers’ efforts are
concentrated on preparing their students for public examinations. Thus, attempts to make
lessons creative, interesting and learner centred by using technology are hampered by the

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perpetual need to focus on teacher centred lessons aimed at covering the syllabus and preparing
students for forthcoming examinations.

Barriers relating to training and experience, on the other hand, include lack of or poorly
structured activities that focus on technology integration, inconvenient training times,
irrelevant training activities and lack of continuous support. Problems like mismatch between
the teachers’ class levels and specialisation, and lack of clear information exchange, however,
can easily be rectified.

The last category is attitudinal and fear related barriers, which encompass anxiety
concerning technology use as well as teacher perceptions of their computer competency and
enough of preparation. Some of these teachers had a negative perception of their online
competence therefore their attitude and fear, affect their use of technology As a result, they
were not motivated to use the tools. Fear was another barrier evident in those who were not
frequent Internet users. Another element of fear noted was the anxiety that their students were
better than them. All these would undermine their confidence and interest in technology.
Hence, teachers’ motivation and apprehensions for participation and sharing must be
thoroughly examined. This is crucial to ensure more active use of technological tools and
sustained participation.

4.3 School
Bureaucracy in educational settings is another cause for concern in implementation
of smart school. As schools, particularly in Malaysia, need to respond to broader political and
economic imperatives for through knowledge management initiatives schools should be able
to evolve from traditional bureaucracies to a more educational knowledge environment
appropriate to meet these changes. Furthermore, the total number of students in schools and in
the classroom is overwhelmingly causing the process of teaching and learning by using the
Smart School Management System (SSMS) are difficult.

A further challenge is most departments or offices in schools maintain independent

sources of data which are rarely related to each other, nonetheless there have been positive
impacts of technology expansion on how schools maintain their databases. Use of technology
and computer networks in education is not just about data mining and warehousing, it is also

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about expanding networks to other schools and gaining access to advice from colleagues
outside the school.

A part from that, schools’ support costs also has increased. The school management has
been over-reliance on ICT and everyday human interaction between the collection of teachers
and management decreases. The new philosophy of smart schools says teachers must use
teamwork, talk less and take advantage of a wide range of educational activities and learning
with ICT applications. Of course search, design and synthesis of new materials suitable for
learning environment are time consuming. In addition to the normal working hours of teachers
in school they have to spend more hours in school to complete their tasks. However, they are
not given any reward for this work.

For the realization of the smart school concept, teachers should have a very high
commitment. The arrival of ICT in smart schools must conjugate with the use of interactive
educational lesson that combine sound, graphics and animation in such a way that students find
their ability to explore and construct knowledge. Funding for this application is essential. Pilot
Smart school administrators have complained about the non-allocation of funds for the
purchase and preparation of required software.

4.4 Parents
Every school in Malaysia has a PIBG that involved teachers and parents. The one of
the PIBG’s function is to help in development and achievement of school and students. In order
to transform into Smart School, parents must involve in this project. . The challenge of Smart
School in aspect of parents is some parents could not provide the computer at home for their
children uses. Since of Smart School use the computer during learning session, sometimes their
teachers will give an online assessment during school break and must completed it by using
computer and submit it on the same day. To overcome this problem, parents who cannot
provide the computer for their children must accompany their children to go to the cyber cafe
especially primary school’s student. In addition, they need to spend some of money for their
children who go to the cyber cafe just for to complete the homework that needs to use the
computer. Besides, if there is no any cyber cafe at their areas, parents must find another
initiative to help their children complete their work.

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 Next, parents did not concern about Smart School’s concept. Parent must plays an
important role as personal charge of children’s. To be the personal charge, parents should learn
experiences monitor children’s progress guide, motivate and counsel children. Other than that
they also need to support all school activities. Parent also plays a role as resource persons and
they are experts in their own area. To aim these roles, there a few skill and knowledge should
be learned by a parent. There is ability to access school public domain database, ability to
counsel and motivate their children, and ability to understand educational process. When parent
are completely master in these ability, they will enjoy and utilise the ready access to school and
relevant school information to forge a close relationship with the teachers and the staff. This
relationship will enriched the children’s educational experience because their parent participant
in school.

In this modern age, Parents are always busy with their work until they did not get chance
to spend their time with their children. This cause the parents did not know how their children’s
development. Unfortunately, the parents also do not have much time to get involve in PIBG at
school. This also cause parents did not know about the development of the school. Besides,
there are parents that assume the Smart School’s project is the responsible of government and
school only. But, to transform normal school into Smart School, not only the Ministry of
Education Malaysia (KPM), principals and teachers should play a role but the parents should
be participated in the development of Smart School too.

For example, parents who are classified as in high-income individuals can contribute to
the development of school infrastructure such as contribute a sum of money to build a computer
laboratory, buy computer devices and so on. In addition, parents who have knowledge and
skills in ICT can contribute in terms of give lessons to teachers who lack knowledge in ICT.
Smart School’s teaching and learning process are different with a normal school. This process
is related to curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and learning materials that are re-designing to
help student learn more effectively and efficiently.

Smart School will encourage students to practice self-access learning and self-directed
learning as well as the rates themselves. Smart School is emphasizes on the effectiveness and
readiness, progress and talent. So, parents do not have to worry and think that smart school is
only for intelligent student. Furthermore, in rural areas there are also parents who are aged that
do not understand how to use ICT materials causing they cannot help their children who are
bring homework to home that have to be done using by a computer. But, some parents

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mistakenly assume that their children use the computer to play games, watching video but their
children are complete their school’s work that needs to use the computer.

Furthermore, parents also must have at least knowledge of ICT. This is because when
students have been exposed to computers and the internet, then the parents should always
monitor how they use the computer and should know what their children do with the computer.
For example, avoid their children from watch movie by online, access to pornography and
cybercrimes. Besides, parents must know how to monitor the computer contents and always be
beside them while they use computers either making homework or play games. If they were
making homework, trying to learn how to use computers or provide tutoring to children.
Parents must ensure that children use the computer in the right way, so that bad things will not
happen educators need to develop the smart skills in order to achieve the most productive use
of technology through teaching and learning process.

There is a need to increase the participation of parents in educational processes such as in

teaching-learning, development of educational materials and assessment. These will make a
student’s learning opportunities stretch beyond the classrooms. Parents also can be educational
resources, and in the process benefit themselves as their own learning needs become a life-long
endeavour.

5. Summary
The concept of Smart School is useful in teaching and learning in classroom. This concept
is use to bring about a systematic change in education, from an exam-dominated culture to a
thinking and creative knowledge culture. Furthermore, Smart School concept also can help to
reemphasize science and technology education with a focus on creativity and innovation.
Malaysia’s hope is to create a new generation of creative and innovative who are able to use
new technologies efficiently in accessing and managing the wealth of information arising from
the information age. The Smart School application is not confined to the introduction of IT and
multimedia in the learning and teaching process but it also a catalyst towards and implementing
a more effective delivery process. The idea is from Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. On 1997,
Smart School was launched and being one of the flagship application of MSC. Four
implementation waves are Pilot Phase, Post-Pilot, Making All Schools Smart and Consolidate
and Stabilize wave. This concept also can help to equip students with IT competence.

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Therefore, the country can produce the smart students who can use technology in their study
and generate smart teachers that can create lesson plan with fully use the technology.

Thus, all of this benefit bringing up by Smart School concept will make teaching and
learning process become attractive. The pedagogy involves in Smart School is the appropriate
mix of learning strategies to ensure mastery of basic competencies and promotion of holistic
development. It is not the examination based orientation. So students will not feel bored in
class. Their mind, spirit and body will involve fully in the learning process. Therefore,
maximum knowledge can be absorbed by students.

6. References

1. Aprell, S. (27 April, 2017). The Smart School in Malaysia. Retrieved from ScribD:
https://www.scribd.com/document/346598925/The-Smart-School-in-Malaysia

2. Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan . (n.d.). Retrieved from Kementerian Pelajaran

Malaysia: http://www.jaet.jp/katudou/seminar_ict/Malaysia.pdf

3. Bajunid, I. A. (2008). Malaysia From Traditional To Smart Schools. Shah Alam:

Oxford Fajar.

4. Hengtiger. (3 Dec, 2012). Smart School In Malaysia. Retrieved from SlideShare:

https://www.slideshare.net/hengtiger/smart-school-in-malaysia-15474461

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