Introduction

Smart school is the school that enhanced with technological equipment for the purpose of better
learning and teaching session. The definition of Smart School is one that uses a technology
platform as a medium on which distance learning and specific teaching expertise are made
available to remote locations including the home, without compromise to the quality of
information transfer and certified teaching methods developed locally, regionally or
internationally. For instance, the school with basic smart technology include gadgets like laptops
or computer, projector, DVD or VCD player and a viewing screen. Early in 1996, the Ministry
was created laws of Smart School. Technology as an important component in Smart School
which learning institution reinvented systematically teaching-learning and school management in
order to prepare student for Information Age.
The proclamation on 28th September 1992 by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr
Mahathir Mohamed, forms the starting point of Smart School: By the year of 2020, Malaysia
can be a united nation, with a confident Malaysian society, infused by strong moral and ethical
values, living in a society that is democratic, liberal and tolerant, caring, economically just and
equitable, progressive and prosperous, and in full possession of an economy that is competitive,
dynamic, robust and resilient.
The Malaysian Smart School has the following qualities such as a philosophy that says all
students can learn if taught, coupled with high expectations for all students, a broad curriculum
that considers the different capabilities and needs of all students, a school climate that is
conducive to learning, a non-going assessment that supports good instruction, strong and
professional principals and teachers and a high level of parent and community involvement and
support. The success of smart school depends on key players such as teachers and administrators.
Success of Smart School reform the concept of teacher learning has changed with time.
Smart schools are one of the strategies adopted by schools in response to today's modern
needs. Smart schools are active for entrepreneurship, using modern methods to improve the
quality of education, and training qualified people who at any time have the capability and
efficiency of modern industry. The purpose of this study is the use of ICT in Malaysian Smart
School and comparing it with the Smart Schools in Iran. To conduct this study, library,
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documents, Web sites and electronic journals are available. The results of this study show that
although there are significant differences between the education system and deployment of ICT
in Iran with the standards in smart schools in leading countries like Malaysia, according to the
original development of smart schools in Iran which has been adapted from Malaysia,
recognizing the realities of this action in Malaysia, can be effective in the development of
schools in the country and prevent indiscriminate development.
Main Goal
As we know, new things are created to produce a better result. Creating champions who are able
to face the world confidently because they have the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to
make a success of their lives and contribute to nation-building. There is five important agenda of
Malaysian Smart School which are to enhance individual strengths and abilities, produce a
thinking and technology literate workforce, all-round development of the individual, democratize
education and increase participation of stakeholders. All these five important agenda can be
achieved through smart school teaching-learning session.
The first main goal of smart school is to enhance individual strengths and abilities. The
strategies are to provide elective in the curriculum and allow for vertical integration. The vertical
integration means that grade levels students for all subject in the school curriculum. Curriculum
design for smart schools will incorporate element of vertical integration that to allow high fliers
to surf through their schooling years, without being kept apart from their peers in virtual express
classes.
Secondly, smart school can produce a thinking and technology literate workforce such as
apply technology in teaching and learning. In the smart school, the use of technology like
internet as a teaching-learning material is the best ways to produce children who are have
different learning style than another school.
Besides, all-round development of the individual is one of the main goals of smart school
like intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual. Intellectual or cognitive is focus on acquiring
knowledge. It is also focus on searching, generating, and using knowledge with an emphasize
problem-solving and creativity. Then, about the physical is still social responsibility and

consciousness of health and environmental issues. In that cases, it will causes emphasise a global
orientation and inculcate work place skills and attitudes.
Furthermore, democratize education means the Smart School programme provide equal
access to learning opportunities which we can see that in the Smart School Curriculum that can
enable students to have holistic learning that the curriculum gives appropriate emphasis to all
significant aspect of growth and all the types of human intelligence, helping students see the
connection between the separate subjects. Plus the uses of technology as one delivery system,
examines the influence on students live, and gives students the skills they need to use technology
such as internet to get more information.
The fifth main goal of smart school is increase participation of stakeholders such as
teachers, principals, Ministry of Education officers, support staff and parents. These goals
involve a few strategies that can be done to fulfil the goal which is to create awareness of what
happens in schools. All the stakeholders must know their responsibilities and give feedback so
that the Smart School project can be knew whether it is working or not.

Advantages
The benefit of Smart School assessment is teachers, students and parents will be able to access
online assessment items. It will causes increasing of living certification, which not only attest to
students cumulative accomplishments but will also be open to continued improvement on a
lifetime

basis.

The

new

teaching

strategies

will

need

teaching-

learning materials designed that will accommodate student differing needs and abilities. It is will
lead students to take greater responsibility for managing and directing their own learning.
Smart School management can be manage efficiently and effectively when the

primary

objective were correlation with the resources and processes that required to support the teachinglearning function. The Smart School management will need strong, professional administrators
and teachers who can articulate school goals clearly, lead teaching at the school, and elicit strong
parental and community support to fulfil its objective.
Finally, Smart School is important in Malaysian education system in line with and in
support of the nation drive to fulfil Vision 2020. At the same time, the individuals who are
intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious can be well
produce.

Disadvantages
Today, teachers are inundated with varied demands due to globalization and technological
advancements. Relevant literature challenges teachers in these schools are not prepared for the
implementation of this reform mainly due to the lack of ICT integration in their teaching.
The disadvantages of smart school are highly costs, students become passive, lack of
technological infrastructure in rural area and lack of skilled teachers. Firstly, smart school is
highly costs and some school cannot afford it. This is due to the equipment such as laptop,
computers, projector and many more. This things are too expensive and may cause every child
cannot get access. Secondly, the students become passive especially for the slow learner. Some
student may understand lesson by only read the texts, some student may understand lesson by
only hear to the teachers and some may understand by study alone with addition equipment.
Different people have different way of learning. So, teachers have to contribute many ways so
that student always active in class.
Next is lack of technological infrastructure in rural area. This is because some area is not
exposed to technology and limited internet connectivity. No internet means anybody cannot
access whether using smart phones or computers. Last but not least is skilled faculty. Teachers
are the main role for smart school. So, teachers need to know better about ICT. Teachers need to
be train well so there is such cases that make student feel uncomfortable. Of course students will
refer teacher in any situation or problem. If the teacher have lack of skill in technology
nowadays, it will become disturbing factor rather than helpful.

Challenges
The smart school project in Malaysia had much implication towards the country
education since it developed in 1996. The objective of smart school project is to transform the
Malaysian education system into a technologically advanced process. Through the process of
improving education by using technologies, there are many challenges need to be faced in order
to reach the objective of smart school project. The challenges had been point out by the teachers
and managers of smart school. These challenges complicate the goals of smart school project if it
is not restrained.
First challenges that encounter the smart school project is lack of budget to maintain the
equipment. Many technologies equipment need to be maintain in this project such as PC, laptop,
printer, scanner, server and more applications. In order to maintain this equipment, much budget
needed because the equipment price is not cheap and the equipment should be change in a large
quantity. This is because if we only change one piece per equipment in a time, it will take long
term for students and teachers to understand the new equipment. Students and teachers should be
update to the latest equipment in order to catch up the new technologies so that success smart
school project could be attained. By maintaining the new equipment teachers could have new
creative and innovative plan and skills to monitoring and conducting the class.
Second challenge is not enough technical support team. Technical support team should be
prepared in a good quantity. Nevertheless, many technical supports without quality will only
produce many workers. Good technical support teams need to have basic knowledge about new
technologies. It is then will help many problems encounter in smart school and could be solved
easily in a short time. Knowledgeable technical support will brings valuable quality to smart
school project.
Third challenge is some teachers of smart school are not interested and ready in using IT
to teach. Teachers interest is important to attract student in developing their idea through
technologies used in smart school. If they are not well prepared and did not have any interest in
doing the smart school project, students will also lost their interesting. The used of technologies
in smart school should be start by the teachers itself. Teachers should be ready to use the
advantages of technologies in smart school. Every problem encounter by the student involving
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the technologies in smart school will be refers to their teachers. If teachers are not well prepared
and ready in using IT to teach, it will slow the progress of smart school project.
Fourth challenges of smart school project are they always encounter server problem and
inconsistent internet service available in the school. Inconsistent internet service and server
problem will slow down many works. Internet uses are so important in technologies these days.
For example, people usually use internet to communicate, search for relevant information and elearning. Basically most of the technologies used in smart school related to internet connection.
If internet service in the school is inconsistent and they always encounter server problem in the
school, students and teachers will face difficulty in their learning process in the school. The
impact of this will show that smart school project did not give much benefit to their students.
People will give negative comments and complaint towards the problem and will not agree to the
project itself.
Finally, the challenge of smart school project is poor maintenance of ICT facilities due to
financial problems. ICT maintenance is important because through it we could prevent against
viruses and malware, speed up the computer used in the school, keep antiviruses software up-todate, and maximize software efficiency. Poor maintenance of ICT facilities will neglect the
importance of it. For example, if the computer used for learning tasks is slow down, students and
teachers will lack of time in ending the tasks. This waste of time will takes more time in future in
order to cover back their unfinished learning tasks.

Method to Overcome Challenges

Based on the first challenge encounter that should be overcome which is lack of budget to
maintain the equipment, first method is do regulation check up to the equipment at least twice a
month. As we know, in order to maintain this equipment, much budget needed because the
equipment price is not cheap and the equipment should be change in a large quantity. Regulation
checkup will make sure the equipment used which is broke down can be detected easily. Make
sure that if only one equipment is breakdown, change the break down equipment only. Decide if
it is necessary to change all of the equipment used in the school. Authorities should collect
allocation for emergency equipment breakdown. We also should include parents and society with
the education plan so that they could also help contributing in order to develop the smart school
project.
Second, method that should be used to overcome the challenge of not enough technical
support team is by hiring more technical supports that are proficient in technologies. Each smart
schools circumstance and facilities need special experts in supporting them such as technical
support, experienced teachers. Their existence will help to solve many problems related to the
technologies in smart school project. Besides, we should train existing worker or teachers more
about the technologies so that we will not needed more technical supports team if teachers itself
can help to support any technical problems. Other than supporting hardware and network system,
this will also influence to get better implementing school.
The suitable methods to overcome the challenge of not interested and ready teachers in
using IT to teach is give motivation and encourage them to improve their skills in technologies.
Teachers skill can be improve by giving them access to course and manage a workshop or
training course that can helps them build their content knowledge and teaching skills. To make
sure they are ready in using IT to teach, all the teachers of the school should have knowledge
from IT and ICT as computer literacy. Teachers also should employ new technologies for their
students so that they will have plans and skill to monitoring and conducting class as well. It is
teachers responsible to determine the content of lessons which provide by MOE and should
assist students to gather right information from internet.

Server problem and inconsistent internet service available in the school should be
overcome by providing broadband facilities which students can reach wireless internet anywhere.
Broadband connection can save more time using in learning process because the connection of a
broadband will always on which students and teachers do not have to wait for dial-up
connectivity if they still use the route to the internet. They can be more productive without
having to wait for a connection. Thus, providing broadband facilities is a must as internet service
available could be maintain and reachable. Besides, broadband comes at a fixed price, which we
could budget the price effectively.
Lastly, to overcome the problems of poor maintenance of ICT facilities due to financial
problems is by allocate budget for smart school program. This eventually will help the financial
problems faced by the school. Budgeting helps to clearly show how we allocate the money and
give us more choices in choosing which financial problems that are important and need to be
fixed first. It will save the financial from overspending and being too much in debt. Having
strategies in managing financial will help us in fixed the financial problems.

Conclusion
Smart school are one of the strategies adopted by schools in response to todays modern
needs. The objective of having smart school is to improve the quality of education by using
modern methods. In order to achieve the targets, our country should start by training qualified
people who at any time have the capability and efficiency of modern industry. Society should
support the project in any ways so that the goals that we aim for the smart school project can be
achieve. Peoples should be aware about the benefits of smart school then we can together
collaborate to attain success of smart school.
Besides, the students role is also important in the smart school project. Teachers as
facilitators should teach them to learn and practice the used of IT in the class. Through the
activities, they will attempt to create beautiful mind and can explore new things. Teachers also
should teach their students to have more confidence in their life and learn to discover or find
independently the answer of their question by employing technology. Students will be more
motivated to exposing their new idea and skill.

References
1. Zahra Taleb, Fatemeh Hassanzadeh (2014). Toward Smart School: A Comparison
between Smart School and Traditional School for Mathematics Learning. Access from:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815001238 on October 26,
2016
2. Siavash Omidinia, Maslin Masrom, Harihodin Selamat (2016). Smart School System
Issues and Challenges. Access from:
http://www.academia.edu/3158453/SMART_SCHOOL_SYSTEM_ISSUES_AND_CHA
LLENGES on October 26, 2016.

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