Over 7,000 rural schools have broadband internet access

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 10,182 schools nationwide have been provided with broadband internet service with access speeds of 15Mbps, 10Mbps, 6Mbps and 2Mbps as at March 17, the Dewan Negara was told today.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon said 69.24% or 7,050 of the schools were in rural areas.
This is in line with the seventh shift of the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025, which saw the Education Ministry collaborating with the Communication and Multimedia Ministry to identify the most optimum approach to include and upgrade all schools, including those in rural and remote areas, into a high speed network.
"Besides, the ministry has also taken a step to improve user's experience through robust scheduling of broadband use and by preparing cache facility in schools where the broadband service has yet to be upgraded," he said in reply to Senator Datuk Abidullah Salleh on the statistics on broadband internet access and speeds at schools across the country, especially in rural areas.
The senator had also wanted to know whether the development was in line with the ministry's aspiration to make optimal use of information communication technology to improve the quality of education.