PUTRAJAYA: The Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (KPSTI) will strengthen strategic cooperation with the Communications Ministry to advance education digitalisation and digital inclusion across the state, particularly in underserved areas, said its minister Datuk James Ratib.
James said this after a courtesy call on Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil at the ministry on Monday, where discussions focused on aligning Federal and State efforts to improve connectivity for schools.
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He thanked the Federal Government and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission for ongoing initiatives, including Jendela Phase 1 and more than RM2 billion allocated under Budget 2026 to strengthen Sabah’s digital infrastructure.
James said reliable, high-quality communications infrastructure is vital for Sabah’s education, science and innovation agenda, especially for rural, interior and island schools facing geographical constraints, and proposed that Jendela Phase 2 prioritise schools as connectivity hubs through fibre links and satellite solutions.
The meeting also covered expanding Universal Service Provision (USP) funding to include in-school digital ecosystems such as proposed Digital Smart Labs, alongside concerns over teenage digital safety, including limiting mobile phone use for those under 16, as part of a broader whole-of-government approach to protect and prepare Sabah’s youth.
