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Malaysia adopts Google Apps, Chromebooks for education

The move is part of a national plan to reform its education system through Web usage, and Google says Chromebooks will bring both user friendliness and cost savings to the country.
Written by Ellyne Phneah, Contributor
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Malaysia has adopted Google apps for 10 millions students, teachers and parents, while primary and secondary school students will receive Chromebooks.

Malaysia has adopted Google Apps and Chromebooks as part of the country's plans to integrate Web usage in a bid to reform its education system.

According to a blog post by the search giant on Wednesday, Malaysia adopted Google Apps for 10 million of its students, teachers and parents. In addition, primary and secondary schools will receive Chromebooks.

Malaysia's "Education Blueprint 2013-2025" released in September last year, is aimed at revolutionizing its education system through the integration of Web usage, Felix Lin, director of product management at Google, who wrote the blog post noted.

He added Malaysia's efforts to upgrade its educational system was not easy. To deploy technology across the country, computers needed to be simple, manageable and secure, which was reflective in Google Chromebook, Lin noted.

The Chromebooks were also a "cost-efficient option" at scale, in addition to being easy to setup and secure, he added. Citing a study conducted by research firm IDC, Google learned Chromebooks would yield three-year cost of ownership savings of US$1,135 for each computer, required 69 percent less hours to deploy and 92 percent fewer hours to manage.

Malaysia's announcement is also indicative of a movement by school systems to recognize the power of Web in education, Lin said. Another Asian country, the Philippines, had also "Gone Google" with the country's Department of Education moving its systems to the cloud with Google Apps for Education, he pointed out.

"The Web gives our children and students new opportunities to access the world’s information and work collaboratively," Lin said. "We look forward to working with national and regional leaders to make the most of the Web with Google Apps and Chromebooks and help them provide the best opportunities to every student."

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