KUCHING – Thirty-three primary school teachers have received certificates of completion after undergoing Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus’ Raspberry Pi Level C Training Program 2023.
Officiating the Opening Ceremony and Certificate Presentation for the Raspberry Pi Level C Training Program 2023 held at Swinburne Sarawak on 14 February 2023 was Tuan Haji Azmi bin Haji Bujang, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD).
Through the Raspberry Pi Training Program organised by MEITD, Swinburne Sarawak and other delivery partners were appointed to provide relevant training courses to teachers across the state, equipping them with the knowledge of using Raspberry Pi – a low cost, credit card-sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor. This versatile device enables students to explore computing and learn how to program in languages such as Scratch and Python. The training is ongoing and consists of four levels, starting last year and continuing on for the next two years.
As of February 2023, Swinburne Sarawak has trained 225 teachers for Level C, targeting primary school teachers of Sarawak’s Southern Region for the first quarter of 2023, and will continue the training program for the Central and Northern Regions from July 2023 onwards – aiming to train a total of 1,265 teachers for Level C this year.
In 2022, Swinburne Sarawak trained over 1,200 primary school teachers and district education officers from across Sarawak for Levels A and B.
Tuan Haji Azmi (centre) presents a certificate of completion to a teacher as (from left) Dr Ong, Professor Lau and Professor Wong look on.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer Ir Professor Lau Hieng Ho in his welcoming remarks commended the Raspberry Pi Training Program as an excellent initiative by the Sarawak Government to ensure that the state’s learners are future-ready and equipped to meet the needs of Industry 4.0.
“Swinburne and all of our partners are proud to be a key partner of the Ministry of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Sarawak in not just the Raspberry Pi program, but also on a number of key strategic initiatives, to innovate, upskill and reimagine the education landscape of Sarawak,” he said.
Emphasising that learning is a lifelong and repetitive process, Professor Lau said, “Consistent with our Swinburne Vision, we believe that every problem has a tech solution. We want to empower teachers and Sarawak to develop tech solutions beyond our university as well.”
Tuan Haji Azmi said that, to date, the Sarawak Government through MEITD had provided 9,436 units of Raspberry Pi sets, including monitors, keyboards, and mice, to 1,265 primary schools and 30 District Education Offices statewide.
“This is in line with our objective of promoting STEM and ICT education to students in Sarawak,” he said.
Dr Hudyjaya (left) showcases the Raspberry Pi system to Tuan Haji Azmi (centre) as Professor Lau (right) and others look on.
Tuan Haji Azmi enjoyed a showcase on the Raspberry Pi system presented by Senior Lecturer Ir Dr Hudyjaya Siswoyo Jo and also visited one of Swinburne Sarawak’s computer labs where the Raspberry Pi training is conducted.
Fruitful discussions are also in progress on MEITD’s plans to organise the first Sarawak Raspberry Pi Forum here at Swinburne Sarawak in July this year, bringing in international experts to share their knowledge and showcase the use of Raspberry Pi with teachers and students across the state.
Also present at the event were Ms Anielia Siam, Deputy Permanent Secretary, MEITD; Dr Ong Ewe Gnoh, Senior Chief Assistant Director, Information and Communications Technology Unit, Sarawak State Education Department; Swinburne Innovation Malaysia (SWIM) Chief Executive Officer Professor Wallace Wong and Associate Professor Hugh Leong, Coordinator of the Raspberry Pi Training Program.
The Raspberry Pi Training Program is an initiative funded by MEITD and jointly delivered by Swinburne Sarawak, University of Technology Sarawak, Curtin University Malaysia and Riam Institute of Technology.
For more information on Swinburne Sarawak, visit its website (www.swinburne.edu.my), Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).