KUALA LUMPUR: The government plans to build another 186 digital economy centres (PEDi), complementing the current 911 centres nationwide, to boost digital literacy in Malaysia, said Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Fahmi said this was also to empower citizens in participating and benefiting from the digital economy while navigating it safely.
Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Fahmi said, had begun Jelajah Saya Digital campaign in February this year.
"We are aiming to build another 186 more centres throughout the country. We will have at least one PEDi per DUN (state legislative assembly). We will introduce programmes on digital literacy, and this will be particularly effective in rural areas and not only urban centres," he said at the signing of a partnertship between Telekom Malaysia Bhd and ZTE Malaysia Corporation Sdn Bhd here today.
Fahmi said the Jelajah Anti Scam Kebangsaan programme coordinated by CyberSecurity Malaysia, with the assistance of CelcomDigi Bhd, was part of the commitment in enhancing digital literacy.
"These initiatives will help to address some of the digital literacy issues, specifically themes of scammers, cyber security, safety, data protection as well as participation in the digital economy," he added.
Enhancing digital literacy, he said, was an important aspect to look at as digital economy could mean something different in different settings.
"What we have discovered is that when we say digital economy, it could mean something very different for somebody in Petaling Jaya, compared to somebody in Pulau Tuba.
"Having visited some of the rural areas, in semi urban areas, I have asked MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) and MDEC and a number of agencies to look at how we can help not only increase digital literacy but also understanding what digital economy means for the local economy," Fahmi said.