DiGi CyberSAFE Programme extends reach to Community Broadband Centres in Terengganu

Kuala Terengganu, 17 May 2012: The DiGi CyberSAFE Programme has extended its reach to more communities including students, teachers and parents from locations around Terengganu such as Kuala Berang, Bukit Diman, Pasir Gajah and Taman Semarak Binjai. Through a series of workshops held in nearby halls of DiGi’s Community Broadband Centres from 7 to 10 May 2012, the DiGi CyberSAFE Programme has educated approximately 560 people here on the important topic of Online Child Safety.

This leg of the DiGi CyberSAFE Programme marks its first outreach to communities in the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Following this, DiGi will be extending its roadshows to more schools and communities in Sabah, Sarawak, Penang, Perak, Kelantan and Pahang. The programme that was first kick started in Klang Valley in November 2011, has since reached 2,300 students, teachers and parents from 117 schools in the Klang Valley, Putrajaya, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Malacca.
Jennifer Neal, DiGi’s Head of Eastern Region said, “As a leading enabler of Internet for all Malaysians with over 5 million active mobile Internet subscribers, it is DiGi’s duty to educate communities around the country to ensure that they have a safe, family-friendly Internet experience. These workshops are increasingly relevant to the residents of Terengganu as it the state with the highest Internet penetration rate in the Eastern Region at 58.9% (Statistics from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission). While we encourage local children and communities to explore the wonders of the Internet, we also need to educate and equip them with practical knowledge on how to stay safe online. DiGi will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Education, CyberSecurity and Childline to scale up efforts to raise awareness of this important national issue.”

The principal of Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Berang, one of the schools in Terengganu that supported the DiGi CyberSAFE Programme, Mr. Ahmad Fuad bin Zakaria noted, “The DiGi CyberSAFE programme held in Terengganu is very timely as the State Government has provided digital notebooks or e-books to all Standard 4 to 6 students in the state. To date, I understand that 93,000 digital notebooks or e-books have been given out. As students in our state increase their interaction with technology, they also need to be educated on cyber safety, so that they are empowered to fully utilize the Internet in a safe and responsible manner.”

A mother of a student from Sekolah Kebangsaan Binjai shared, “Children today are increasingly exposed to technology and the Internet in their lives. They not only face potential physical threats, but also online threats to their overall safety and wellbeing. As a parent, I am not always equipped to help my children understand and deal with these dangers. Thus, I am very happy that DiGi, a leading Internet Service Provider, has taken the initiative to actively educate our children on how to be safe and responsible Internet users.”

The DiGi CyberSAFE Programme is a strategic collaboration between the Ministry of Education, CyberSecurity Malaysia, Childline Malaysia and DiGi Telecommunications to address the important national issue of Online Child Safety. The goal of this programme is to raise awareness of the issue and equip students, parents and teachers with the right tools to ensure a secure and positive Internet experience.

To complement these road shows, a guidebook is made available to provide parents, caregivers and educators with information and recommendations on the best ways to establish a safer Internet experience for their children and charges.

Through DiGi CyberSAFE Programme’s partnership with Childline Malaysia, children are also provided with access to the 15999 Childline, a 24-hour telephone helpline for children to call should they encounter online threats. For more information on the DiGi CyberSAFE Programme, please visit (www.cybersafe.my/dcp).