Xchanging helps Malaysian govt. to build virtual learning environment

BANGALORE, INDIA: 1BestariNet, a virtual learning environment (VLE) initiative rolled out by the Ministry of Education (MoE) in partnership with Xchanging Malaysia and YTL Communications, has successfully connected a total of 5.5 million students, 5,00,000 teachers, 10,000 schools and 4.5 million parents. This has made Malaysia the first country in the world to deliver a single, nation-wide cloud-based learning platform via high-speed 4G internet connectivity.

A key objective of 1BestariNet was to reduce the urban and rural education divide by giving all teachers and students access to the same systems and content, regardless of location. Xchanging's solution was to create an online education community via a virtual network, linking students, teachers, schools and parents.

Xchanging also provides a learning management system to deliver educational resources to teachers and students, through a software platform from Frog - the ‘Frog Store' - and collates free content from providers such as YouTube and Discovery Channel. These resources are used in lessons to enhance students' learning experience, and can be accessed in any location across Malaysia.

The 1BestariNet project is delivering major benefits for all involved, including:

• Schools have experienced cost savings through the cloud-based delivery of content, as a result of removing the need to service and update 10,000 separate servers, which was time consuming, complex and expensive;

• Students have made significant gains in their development irrespective of their background or location, and will leave school with a wider breadth of knowledge and world-class skills, giving them a head start towards a better future.

• Teachers are able to easily develop stimulating lesson plans with engaging content, share teaching best practice to improve the way learning issues are addressed, and track the progress of each student closely and manage any problem areas swiftly;

• Parents also have access to the platform, giving them the convenience of tracking their children's progress, and the ability to interact with teachers.