LANGKAWI: The Ministry of Communications, through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), has brought the Safe Internet Campaign Tour to schools in the Northern Zone as part of efforts to strengthen online safety and build a resilient digital community.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Ulu Melaka here is the starting point of the tour for the Northern Zone, which will subsequently be expanded to other schools in the region.
“We are starting at SK Ulu Melaka but will later move on to 21 primary schools and seven secondary schools throughout the Langkawi district.
“The intention is to deliver the message especially to primary school students to avoid using social media and to raise awareness among parents about the benefits and dangers of social media and the internet,” he told reporters after launching the Northern Zone Safe Internet Campaign Tour here today.
Also present were the Ministry of Communications Secretary-General Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa, MCMC Commissioner General (Rtd) Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin, and Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Chief Executive Officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin.
Fahmi said the tour will be expanded to other zones after this, with the goal of reaching the over 10,200 schools nationwide by the end of this year.
“It’s not an easy task, but I have asked MCMC to leverage its network with NADI ((National Information Dissemination Centres). We have 1,099 NADI centres across the country and 1,878 MADANI Community groups under the Information Department nationwide.
We also aim to collaborate with Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs)… and with Student Representative Councils at public institutions of higher learning to help reach out to schools as a start,” he said.
More than 1,800 participants, including students from 22 schools, teachers, parents, community leaders and representatives from various relevant agencies took part in the programme today.
The campaign is a continuation of efforts to enhance digital literacy among the public, especially children and teenagers, in facing challenges such as cyberbullying, online scams, cyber gambling and child sexual exploitation.
Throughout this year, over 100,000 participants across the northern zone comprising Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak are expected to be involved in the campaign.
Previously, SK Bidor 2 in Tapah, Perak was the first location for the implementation of the campaign, which was launched on April 10.
