Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (Digi) and the “Future Skills For All” (FS4A) programme partners are providing coding training for teachers from the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf (MFD).
This will prepare the teachers with the skills to teach deaf students to prepare them for future employment. Digi has distributed micro:bit sets to MFD to facilitate the training.
This pilot initiative helps the telco to meet the needs of the deaf community and develop a more inclusive line-up of existing FS4A modules. FS4A is a free education platform that transforms digital skills learning accessible to schoolchildren.
As a starting point, the programme will embed a sign language interpretation within the Basic Computer Science video modules and eventually expands to other modules progressively. Some of the coding terms that are new to the deaf community will be interpreted creatively aside from finger-spelling the terms.
Digi head of sustainability Philip Ling said this collaboration was part of the company’s continuous commitment to reduce inequalities faced by underserved communities.
“With the future workforce becoming increasingly digital, coding is an invaluable asset for students to be equipped with from a young age. This initiative enables us to make coding more accessible for deaf students. We welcome more like-minded entities to partner with us in creating an inclusive environment for children to continue digital learning and upskilling,”
In line with the telco’s Yellow Heart commitment to improve digital inclusion and empower society, the FS4A programme is a joint initiative with Arus Academy, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, Education Ministry and United Nations Children’s Fund.
Recently, FS4A introduced a #BolehCode campaign to spark interest in coding among schoolchildren through competitions, school holiday programmes, workshops and video series besides certification programmes. Digi has also worked to make the learning materials and tutorials accessible to all in multiple languages besides sign language.
