Abstract:

In 2006 after seven years of the launch of the Malaysian Smart School Flagship, the government mandated the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) to undertake a collaborative assignment with the Ministry of Education (MOE) in uplifting the 88 pilot smart schools to become the models of innovation in using ICT for school management, teaching and learning. MDeC was given a two year period, 2006 - 2008, to transform the schools.

The paper takes the audience through a transformation journey of the 88 smart schools where a locally developed Smart School Qualification Standards (SSQS) has been developed and implemented as a key tool to assess, monitor and coach schools to transform to the targeted levels. School-based strategies championed by school leaders and executed by teachers and students formed the key to the success and challenges of the broad supporting programs of on-site coaching, professional development, innovative tools, and centralised service desk.

The implementation challenges, lessons learnt and outcomes will be discussed. More significantly, the paper will share the established innovations and best practices through the transformation model which now serves as the key reference for the onward programs of MOE in ensuring that all 10,000 schools in Malaysia exercise smart practices.

Keywords:

innovation, technology, projects.