MALAYSIA will strive to have advanced Internet facilities at its schools, similar to those in South Korea.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is on a four-day working visit here, said efforts would be made to ensure all schools have Internet connectivity, which would greatly improve the education system in the country.
It was an eye-opener for members of the Malaysian delegation led by Muhyiddin when they were told yesterday that all schools in South Korea had been connected to the Internet for over a decade.
In a briefing at the Korean Education and Research Information Service (Keris), they were told that a five-year plan to connect all schools was mooted in 1996 but its implementation was completed within just three years.
Keris president Dr S.Y. Chun said the National Education Information System stored the profile record of each student and connected parents, teachers and the education authority via the Internet.
He said the government had pushed for wider Internet connectivity among the population to support the system and this had resulted in almost all households in the country having Internet access by 2004.
"The system helps our teachers, students and parents to participate in almost all aspects of education."
Muhyiddin and his entourage were later given a demonstration on how the Keris system worked at the Hanam Information Industry High School, which is regarded as one of the top schools in South Korea.
The system, among others, enables parents to check the performances of their children based on the profiles stored in Keris. They may then make online inquiries to a teacher or request for counselling sessions for their children, if necessary.
The profiles contain information ranging from what the children ate at school to general health and grades.
Muhyiddin, who was impressed by the demonstration, inquired about the details of the system and the cost of its upkeep during the question-and-answer session.
He was told by the teachers and parents present that the system had worked well and greatly contributed in improving the learning environment in schools.
Some of the teachers also claimed the additional duties, including inputting students' profiles, had not burdened them but had instead made their overall work easier.
At the end of the briefing, Muhyiddin said the government would strive to create a similar system in Malaysia.
"It will be great to have such a system for our schools."
DPM backs 'book city' to enhance publishing industry
DEPUTY Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the publishing industry in Malaysia could be enhanced if it had a better concentration of resources.
He said the creation of a centre to handle the publication of books in an efficient manner was essential, adding that the proposed "book city" to be set up in Kuala Lumpur could serve the purpose.
Muhyiddin, who was at the Paju Book City near Seoul yesterday, said Malaysia could learn from the South Korean experience in setting up such a facility.
"The book city here had enabled South Korea to be a major publishing country with more than 40,000 books published per year, in addition to another 10,000 translation works," he said.
The Paju Book City houses an entire system focusing on the planning, production and distribution of books and other forms of publication.
Muhyiddin said the South Korean publishing industry was among the most prolific in the world.
"For instance, at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2008, almost one quarter of the 1,897 copyrights being offered were bought by South Korean publishers."
At the function, Muhyiddin launched a novel by Ahmad Murad Nasaruddin titled Nyawa Di Hujung Pedang (Life on the Edge of a Sword), which was translated to Korean by Professor Chung Young Rhim of Hankuk University of Korean Studies.
The novel, which was jointly published by the National Institute of Translation and South Korean publisher Munhakmaeul-co, was set against the backdrop of life in Japanese-occupied Malaya in the 1940s.
