What is DELIMa? Malaysia’s Rocketing Online Education
As the rocket of education switches its path in search of the perfect, all-encompassing online education blueprint, Malaysia’s Ministry of Education, as the astronaut, has been making great strides in navigating our students to the final destination that is quality learning experiences.
On 15 June 2020, the Ministry held a webinar to introduce Digital Educational Learning Initiative Malaysia (DELIMa), the latest digital learning platform aimed at democratizing education for all. DELIMa, supported by the technological sphere’s big three — Google, Microsoft and Apple — would provide an array of assistance students may need while allowing teachers to choose the mode or form they’re comfortable using with their learning context.
The Ministry’s purpose for launching DELIMa is to “empower and prepare pupils for life-long learning and future skills and competencies that they need to be employable in Malaysia and in the global market”. In other words, we are focusing more on learners and their acquired skills at the end of their secondary education, all while supporting educators alike.
How DELIMa Works
Most Malaysian educators are accustomed to Google Classroom, so the Ministry decided to build upon that foundation and re-brand the platform as DELIMa to showcase three things:
- DELIMa offers a selection of applications and services
- The Ministry is in partnerships with other prominent companies
- DELIMa creates a unanimous experience in teaching and learning
With Google providing interface familiarity, Microsoft’s office application being straightforward and Apple supplying a multitude of resources for e-learning, this revolutionary all-in-one platform will satisfy both senders and receivers of learning by making teaching easier and more productive.
By appointing DELIMa as the default learning platform, more appealing activities will be put in place, therefore churning the creative juices of both teachers and students. Educators will be equipped with webinars, courses, relevant resources, and teacher support groups via WhatsApp or Telegram. Think of DELIMa as a space station for the astronaut teachers to keep in touch with the students on Earth.
Goals of Corporate Partners in Malaysian Education
Representatives from DELIMa’s corporate partners attended the webinar and were kind enough to explain how their companies are helping DEILMa breakthrough the world of e-learning:
Marc Woo from Google Malaysia:
- Google intends to create ‘long-term, equitable learning’.
- Malaysia is the first Asian country to blueprint an education program with Google.
- With Google Classroom at the core of DELIMa, Google aims to work with our Ministry to lower barriers in obtaining quality education and to focus on learning outcomes.
K Raman from Microsoft Malaysia:
- Microsoft’s goal is to ‘democratize, integrate, and complement technologies in a secure manner’ in education.
- Five drivers of change in education: Incorporating technology into the education framework, democratizing knowledge and access, embracing digital classrooms, integrating industries and creating inclusive learning environments.
- Microsoft even succeeded in using Minecraft to teach certain subjects, which shows how fascinating learning can be if educators assimilate technology.
Dr. Helmi Norman from Apple Malaysia:
- E-learning is the “skilling, re-skilling, and upskilling in teaching”.
- Emphasized on creating deep and organic learning communities so students can prosper.
- Apple-produced applications allow teachers to create their own videos, animations and even music in an easily learnable and accessible process.
With all three companies willing to put forth their collective cutting edge technologies and software to fuel our running rocket of education, our astronauts’ guide is clearer than ever.
Malaysia’s Digital Education System
Ms. Azlina Kamal from UNICEF Malaysia accentuated that cultural change in education is inevitable. DELIMa will aid educators in reimagining 21st-century learning by focusing on current skills. Ms. Kamal also conveyed the Ministry’s interest to integrate computer programming and STEM into secondary syllabuses to help students learn critically and creatively.
Additionally, she addressed the disparity between students who have access to technology and those who don’t, believing that DELIMa is the first step toward education for all as it strengthens the quality and equity of learning. That, along with the partnerships, is an approach for digital learning to be relevant in our contemporary and ever-changing world.
It is astonishing to see how far our country has come to empower our students and educators and even more so to know that our Ministry is constantly on the edge of their seats trying to improve learning experiences. With DELIMa regulating classes, teachers will have access to a wider palette of materials and training while students can find everything they need to learn in an easily locatable spot — it’s the best of both worlds.
Wrapping It Up
By using DELIMa to its full advantage and incorporating the strategies we recommended in our previous article based on feedback from students, educators will be able to keep the learning process alive and thriving, all while polishing students’ modern skills. It is an exciting prospect that we are all chipping in effort to make sure our next generation of leaders have the tools they need to create a better tomorrow.
Congratulations to the Ministry for the successful launch of DELIMa; this is one small step for Malaysia, one giant leap for educators and students. To wrap it up, here’s a quote from Ms. Kamal: “The chaos of natural disaster requires the fortitude of steel and the flexibility of rubber. May we all find fortitude and flexibility in our different roles in this endeavor, be it digital learning or in the pandemic.”
Project ID is an education social enterprise that runs high-impact programmes empowering students to lead self and others with 21st century skills. Since the beginning of the MCO, Project ID has run over 40 online workshops with more than 800 student participation across Malaysia.
If you find this article useful, Project ID will be launching a series of teachers’ workshops on strategies for online teaching and learning. Click here to register your interest.