Hitherto, education was centered on one-way communication teaching and learning in the classroom and students would sit and listen to the teacher.
Today’s learning pace is quite rapid, students are expected to be self-sufficient in their learning and students are otherwise left behind and consider additional time to catch up with their learning.
The concept of digital innovation is closely related to technology and this brought to the make use of technology such as smartphones for the students to keep up with their learning.
Children from the B40 income groups, especially from families with several children, may require financial support in acquiring digital technology while monthly internet subscription might be pricey to the family.
Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Luagan, Lawas a rural school serving a B40 population, will compete in T4 Education’s USD250,000 (1.1 million) World’s Best School Prizes in the Innovation category.
SK Luagan experienced as a finalist among five (5) schools in Malaysia in running the T4 Education’s competition and this shows that rural population also have opportunities to keep on track with the latest update in this digital era.
This is because SK Luagan is using film production to solve the issue of school closure during the flood in the area of SK Luagan.
Other than that, SK Luagan’s students are required to spend on a getaway as a way to engage in home-based learning and teaching (PdPR) due to the shortage of internet availability in Lawas.
Thus, the school implements a teaching strategy known as the “flipped classroom”, in which students are given study materials like books or videos.
As an innovative alternative in tackling the flood issues in the area, the school established Filpen Club in accordance to produce a film-based entrepreneurship programme to help solve the issue of school closure due the flood.
During the school closure, students are only able to learn STEM subjects through reading theory only and students are unable to finish school projects on time.
So, the floating library served as a crucial hub for students to attend PdPR lessons as well as coping with the flood issues. .
The school’s very own teacher, Cikgu Nazmi constructed the floating library as a temporary hub with the assistance of the locals to foster education in the area so that students would have easy access to educational resources for their studies.
Cikgu Nazmi backs the students as junior filmmakers through in order to train the students in the art of filmmaking, marketing and financial literacy, creative expression, and leadership abilities, all while fundraising revenue for the purchase of a boat.
The school also collaborated with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to develop a series of short indie films that address social issues and at the same time, contribute to raising funds to purchase a boat.
Plus, the Filpen Club has earned funds from Movie Premier Night at Kampung Luagan, online sale through social media using Google Drive links and selling tickets through QR Code at night markets once a week.
The production of ‘Teether’ and ‘Bullies’ short indie film costs a total budget of RM180 and the indie films recorded SK Luagan as the first school in Malaysia to sell films using QR Code on the street and participate in the international horror film festival.
The Filpen Club plans to make two films in order to invest RM 2785.20 for two (2) boats to function as the primary means of transportation to the floating library.
However, limitations on the recording equipment and shortage of funding are the challenges that the club faces to produce more films.
