Fadhlina Says AI Fundamentals Enter Primary Schools Under the 2027 Curriculum as 329,000 Teachers Are Trained

Malaysian primary school pupils will start learning the fundamentals of artificial intelligence under the 2027 School Curriculum, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek told the Dewan Rakyat on October 29, according to The Star and Business Today. AI will be introduced within the digital technology subject rather than as a separate class.

Fadhlina was answering a question from Merbok MP Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan about how the ministry is preparing schools for AI. She said 329,414 teachers have received AI training through the ministry’s DELIMa 2.0 digital learning platform, and that 27 pilot AI classrooms are already running. She added that about 1.5 million students have been exposed to science and technology learning, programming and robotics.

The ministry has also put rules in place for how AI is used in schools. Its AI Literacy Guidelines have been in force since May 8, setting out how teachers and pupils should use AI tools responsibly. Fadhlina said the ministry would use offline teaching methods so that pupils in rural areas without reliable internet are not left behind.

What it means in practice

Fadhlina Says AI Fundamentals Enter Primary Schools Under the 2027 Curriculum as 329,000 Teachers Are Trained — contextual photo

For families, the change means AI concepts will appear in primary classrooms from 2027, not only in secondary or university courses. The school plan connects with efforts higher up the education ladder, such as the higher education ministry’s target of 30,000 AI-skilled graduates by 2030, and with programmes outside school, including the nationwide AI literacy drive aimed at 100,000 youths.

The hard part will be delivery. Training 329,000 teachers is a large number, but how deep that training goes, and whether teachers feel ready to explain AI to young children, will matter more than the headcount. Rural schools, where connectivity is weakest, will test whether the offline approach works in practice. Parents will also want clarity on how pupils’ data is protected when AI tools are used in class.

What to watch next is the detailed syllabus for the digital technology subject, how the 27 pilot classrooms are evaluated before a wider rollout, and what budget the ministry sets aside for devices and teacher support ahead of 2027.