- FS4A Inclusivity Scale-Up trains 150 teachers across 134 inclusive schools in Malaysia, benefiting over 10,000 children with disabilities.
- Ministry of Education (MOE) leads the project with UNICEF Malaysia, CelcomDigi, MDEC, and Arus Academy as key collaborators.
- Programme focus: STEM-based, gamified digital learning tools to bridge the digital divide and ensure no child is left behind in Malaysia’s digital future.
The Future Skills for All (FS4A) program is widening accessible access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning for children with disabilities in Malaysia. Through its FS4A Inclusivity Scale-Up program, over 150 teachers from 134 inclusive schools for persons with disabilities have been trained since July 2024, benefiting over 10,000 children with disabilities and helping ensure that no child will be left behind in Malaysia's digital evolution.
This project is guided by the Ministry of Education (MOE) under the Special Education Division (BPKhas) with the support of Educational Planning and Research Division (EPRD), in collaboration with partners UNICEF Malaysia, CelcomDigi Berhad and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and being executed by Arus Academy.
With a mix of online platforms, offline packages and interactive dashboards, instructors are provided hands-on training to impart innovative, fun and gamified lessons that stimulate creativity and engagement among students of all abilities. The training focuses on inclusive lesson planning, and teachers are encouraged to modify FS4A materials for children with extensive disabilities. Teachers must also record their practice, reflect on setbacks, and exchange insights to enhance future programme implementation.
Since its launch in 2020, FS4A has become an essential learning hub, accessible via MOE's Digital Educational Learning Initiative Malaysia (DELIMa). It has seen more than 2 million page views and over 320,000 users all over the country. Its success testifies to the increasing need to prepare educators and students with digital skills to meet the classrooms of today and tomorrow's economy.
UNICEF Malaysia deputy representative and programme head, Sanja Saranovic, stated, "All children have a right to good education, no matter what their ability or circumstances. This program is a driver of system reform. It assists in dismantling the obstacles children with disabilities may face through training teachers with the skills and tools to build inclusive, empowering classrooms". Together, we are creating an education system in which inclusion is the standard and a future in which all children can engage and succeed in an ever-changing digital world.
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CelcomDigi's sustainability head Philip Ling further added, "Empowering teachers and learners with critical digital skills provides equal access to technology and opportunity in today's fast-changing digital age". This Inclusivity Scale-Up programme is a forward-looking action to minimize the expanding digital divide for children with disabilities as we transition from the 'Age of Information' to the 'Age of Artificial Intelligence'. By empowering special education teachers with the proper tools and mindset, we are empowering children with disabilities to discover digital skills and hands-on learning through FS4A's STEM-based material.
MDEC head of digital adoption division Ir Wan Murdani Wan Mohamad added that the programme exemplifies MDEC's dedication to diversity and inclusivity through digital technology, "By equipping our communities including those with disabilities with the necessary skills, our nation is leading inclusive socio-economic growth with intent". The addition of the MyDigitalMaker programme to this programme is perfectly in sync with the national strategic initiative, Malaysia Digital, and reinforces even more our intent to develop the young digital talents of different abilities in order to unlock their full potential.
Arus Academy co-founder Daniel Russel was optimistic about the program's effect, "We have witnessed what educators are capable of within the regional workshops nationwide. They possess the passion to lead their students to improved results and are dedicated to enhancing their pedagogy within digital literacy so that the students can become problem-solvers".
With Malaysia's digital education landscape continuing to grow, this achievement represents a turning point toward guaranteeing each child, regardless of ability, has access to quality, inclusive education. On the strength of this success, MOE and its collaborators are committed to furthering the programme's scale, enabling more teachers and schools to implement inclusive digital learning.
