Budget 2015: Stay the course, Intel urges

• Education: Refresh aging devices, implement e-learning
• Consider grants and subsidies to boost IoT potential

SAYING that the Malaysian Government has achieved successes particularly in education transformation and Digital Malaysia, Intel Malaysia added that was critical at this juncture for the Government to stay the course in building on these successes.
 
Digital Malaysia is the national initiative to transform the country into a digital economy by the year 2020. The programme is overseen by Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), which also manages the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC Malaysia) project to boost the ICT industry in Malaysia.
 
In a statement, Intel Malaysia said it is hoping to see “meaningful and significant allocations” for education transformation and Digital Malaysia in the Budget 2015 proposal that will be tabled by Prime Minister Najib Razak (pic) in Parliament later today (Oct 10).
 
Transforming education
 
Intel is convinced that Malaysia is on the right track of integrating technology into the teaching and learning of subjects that promote innovation such as math, science and engineering, the company said.
 
“To cultivate the next generation of innovators who can support Malaysia’s national agenda of developing a knowledge-driven and high-income nation, Intel hopes that the Government will continue to prioritise and channel allocations towards integrating technology throughout the entire education process,” said Sumner Lemon, country manager sales and marketing, Intel Malaysia and Singapore.
 
“Intel believes that one of the best methods to ensure students are well-equipped with technology tools that enable effective learning is to equip them with best-in-class, purpose-suited devices.
 
“For 2015, we hope that the Government will allocate additional budget to refresh aging devices to the latest specifications, implement e-learning programmes and equip students with 21st century skills such as technology, media, computer and digital literacy, effective communication, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration in all schools nationwide,” he added.
 
Intel said it is also hoping to see a strong commitment in Budget 2015 to support training in ICT-enabled education modules for teachers nationwide, and to provide them with the right tools and strategies to support a student-centric learning environment.
 
Youth empowerment
 
At the recent GREAT 2014 (Gathering of Rising Entrepreneurs Acting Together) event held at the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) in September, Najib said that there are two crucial elements for turning Malaysia into a high-income nation.
 
The first of these is to equip entrepreneurs with superior skills coupled with in-depth knowledge, the second is to create entrepreneurs who are engineers of their own opportunities.
 
“This call to action is one that resonates with a deeply held belief we have here at Intel – in our increasingly global economy, curiosity, critical thinking and a strong foundation in math and science are necessary for tomorrow’s workforce to compete for the high-tech jobs of the 21st century,” said Lemon (pic).
 
Intel said that the Internet of Things (IoT) represents massive economic opportunities – with estimates of as high as US$2 trillion to be generated by 2020 – and also is a means of enabling a richer way of living and working by making things smarter.
 
“Today, businesses from across industries are envisioning the IoT solutions – from wearables to the gateway solutions – that will generate that value.
 
“Intel hopes to see the Government provide grants and subsidies that will enable Malaysian makers, innovators and entrepreneurs to take advantage of all the opportunities that the Internet of Things has to offer,” he added.
 
Meanwhile, the SME Masterplan 2012-2020 proposed six high-impact programmes to help Malaysian SMEs (small and medium enterprises) move up the value chain.
 
Among other things, these high impact programmes are aimed at expediting the internationalisation of local SMEs as well as empowering the bottom 40% of the income group via inclusive innovation and technology, Intel noted.
 
“It is imperative that Malaysian SMEs take decisive steps towards improving the productivity and agility of their business with the right IT technology in place,” said Lemon.
 
“Intel believes that ICT is one of the key enablers for Malaysian SMEs to achieve success and wishes to see the Malaysian Government provide assistance by facilitating the ownership and adoption of ICT in local SMEs,” he added.
 
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