Following e-mail sent to the DAP.

COMPLETE INTERNET SYSTEM REQUIRED FOR PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN
PENANG, MALAYSIA
Internet can be regarded as one of the modern education technologies that
could promote the teaching and learning of new science and mathematics
subjects. Certain science fair projects could be allowed to be published
online as complimentary to the current science fair competition organized
for the schools in Penang, Malaysia. The proper usage of internet for
publication and exhibition purposes could improve the quality of science
fair and scientific research education particularly in the state.

Unfortunately there are some more efforts to be placed on the information
technology and science laboratory facilities for the schools in Penang,
Malaysia when it is stressed that scientific research education is deemed
as one of the major factors that will move the state of Penang towards
advanced states in Malaysia. Even Penang State Education Department
itself does not have its online complete database and some of the links
are even broken or outdated for more than five years.

There are several websites for schools in Penang, Malaysia, for example,
Penang E-learning (www.el.net.my). Unfortunately most of the information
published on the website are already outdated and some linked and e-mail
contacts could not be connected. This is one of the major hurdles when
Penang is intending to be one of the digital island and states. Overseas
researchers particularly found difficult to find information for the
primary and secondary schools in Penang, Malaysia for research purposes.

It is wished that more funding could be available to redevelop the
websites and e-mail systems for all schools in the state of Penang,
Malaysia. For national types schools installation of Chinese, Tamil and
Arabic word processors should be available to published the material in
bilingual. Community Innovation Fund (CIF) from Ministry of Science,
Technology and Innovation Malaysia (www.mosti.gov.my) could be tested to
be applied for such purposes and hopefully more industrial grants could be
applied as a part of school-industrial partnership initiatives to promote
businesses and industries in Penang where school websites could be
redeveloped for publicity purposes.

It is believed that most students in the schools today are familiar with
internet websites and e-mails, and it is believe that now is the time for
schools to redevelop the telecommunication systems as a motion to move
Penang, Malaysia towards a real digital era but not just an empty
propaganda as we see today.