JOHOR BAHRU: Four Bangsa Johor Pioneer Schools (SRBJ) will be upgraded in phases starting at the end of this month, with funding exceeding RM30 million.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said RM6.22 million has been allocated by the state government, while RM24 million comes from private sector sponsorship.
The schools, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seri Kota Puteri 2, SMK Tasek Utara, Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seri Kota Puteri 4, and SK Tasek Utara, will be equipped with smart school facilities and artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
“This is part of our plan to upgrade the schools, but improving infrastructure alone is not enough. Our goal is for Johor to become a developed state by 2030. To achieve that, we need a major shift, and it must start with education,” he said during a townhall session with SRBJ teachers and parents today.
Also present were State Education and Information Committee chairman Aznan Tamin and State Youth, Sports, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah.
Meanwhile, Aznan said the state government, through the Raja Zarith Sofiah Foundation, is collaborating with Apple Education to strengthen the SRBJ initiative.
He said through sponsorship from QSR Brands, 2,496 iPads have been provided for 2,264 students and 213 teachers.
“These four SRBJ schools have also been recognised as Apple Distinguished Schools. Globally, there are only 1,000 such schools, and just nine in Malaysia.
“Of those, five are boarding schools and four are SRBJ - making them the only daily schools in the country with this recognition,” he said.
Aznan added that the state aims to use the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) as benchmarks to raise the quality of SRBJ education.
“Students will need to be assessed before they can sit for these exams. For now, the PSLE and IGCSE question standards will serve as our benchmark,” he said.
