MDEC equips hearing-impaired students with 3D skills

• Aims to spur the adoption of 3D animation courses into special-needs school syllabi
• The structure of the programme inlcudes three workshop sessions for 30 students

MALAYSIA Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is continuing its efforts to drive digital adoption by all Malaysians by deploying digital education support for special needs students, including hearing and speech-impaired school-goers.

Schools such as SM Pendidikan Khas Vokasional Shah Alam are direct beneficiaries of the ongoing pilot of MDEC’s Kre8tif!@Schools programme.

The programme was developed to help hearing-impaired students obtain marketable skills in creative ICT technology, and provides them with training in 3D modeling and animation skills, eventually allowing them to gain college admission and potentially pursue lucrative creative careers.

The structure of the programme inlcudes three workshop sessions for 30 students, taking place over three weekends from May to June 2019, with the pilot concluding in July with awards for the best animation clips created by attendees.

The programme received strong industry support with companies such as Forest Interactive, UNDO Academy, Animonsta and Multimedia University (MMU) providing resources and materials (tablets, goodie bags and prizes) to be used in workshops and classes.

Kre8tif!@School will also work in tandem with other inclusive talent initiatives at MDEC, such as the #mydigitalmaker Movement, including the #mydigitalmaker Champion Schools initiative, which promotes the use of digital technology in education.

Under this banner, several schools have been identified as focal points to help bring digital transformation to their nearby communities, with one of them being SK Pendidikan Khas Selangor, which is another school serving students with physical learning impediments.

Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, MDEC vice president for Digital Creative Content, commented: "Creativity thrives in our nation because of our cultural diversity and openness. Our homegrown Kre8tif!@Schools programme provides an inclusive avenue for all students to unleash their potential and achieve success.

“This also emphasises that creativity does not discriminate and can be sparked and harnessed among all children, given the right opportunity and platform. The creative energies of all Malaysian children will help contribute to our creative content industry’s continuing impact as one of our digital economy’s key drivers.”