PUTRAJAYA: The Government will conduct an in-depth study of a new module to use information technology (IT) to upgrade and upskill teachers, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

He said the new module could lead to "very exciting possibilities", instead of sending them to teacher training institutes during school holidays, for traditional and conventional ways.

"We should identify a few brilliant teachers in each subject each year, get them to develop the content and put the content online while other teachers become mentors and facilitators," he said at the end of the MSC Malaysia International Advisory Panel (IAP) Meeting here Tuesday.

Najib said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is also Education Minister, had agreed to look further into the matter.

"This is the leading edge in terms of how we can use and elaborate on IT to increase the quality of education, and the talent we have in the country," he said.

Najib said the current trend in America was for top-notch professors to teach online and they could reach 100,000 to 150,000 students, as opposed to the traditional classroom size.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said the government would recognise the high achievers or icons in the IT industry, as part of efforts to encourage more people to use information, communication and technology as game-changers in the country.

Citing an example, he said a seaweed farmer from Kunak, Sabah previously earned an income of RM450 a month but today, she earned RM20,000 after using IT to integrate her products in the world market.

"That is a very moving story. When we said ICT as a game-changer, that is living proof of how it has enabled the lady (seaweed farmer) to earn that much by using IT technology and integrating her products in the world market.

"We need more of such people. We need to recognise their achievements so that they will become a catalyst and living icon to encourage more and more people to use IT.

"We believe that this concept of recognising high achievers, people who use IT in a very significant game-changing way, should not be confined just to entrepreneurs but also professionals, including teachers who can become icons to the other teachers and students," he said.

Najib described the IAP meeting as productive as many new and exciting possibilities were discussed.

- Bernama