# Malaysia Plans AI Classrooms as 1,180 Schools in Six States Still Lack Fibre

> MKNIRALO — Education — NEWS · DIGITAL EDUCATION

- Published: 2026-11-11
- Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
- Byline: Ari — Learning Enthusiast
- Byline disclosure: Ari is a house editorial byline maintained by MKNIRALO, not a claim of an independently verified individual. It does not imply personal product testing or professional credentials.
- Author profile: https://mkniralo.com/authors/ari/
- Tags: Malaysia, Education, Sarawak, Rural Connectivity, Digital Divide, School Infrastructure, AI in Education
- Cover image: https://mkniralo.com/images/malaysia-schools-without-fibre-ai-classrooms-2026.svg

A Malaysian parliamentary disclosure puts the fibre gap at 1,180 schools across six states. Wireless alternatives exist, while AI classroom plans face a test of everyday reliability.

Malaysia’s digital education strategy faces a basic test of access. Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh told parliament on November 11 that 1,180 schools across six states still lacked fibre-optic internet, even as the ministry plans a wider rollout of AI-supported learning. These schools are not necessarily offline: officials say alternative wireless and satellite links are in place. The unresolved question is how consistently those links support classroom work, and what schools will need before AI-based lessons expand.

## What the six-state count says

In a parliamentary answer on November 11, Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh said 1,180 of 5,362 schools in Sarawak, Sabah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Kedah had not yet received fibre-optic internet connections. The other 4,182 schools had fibre connections with speeds reported in a 300–800 Mbps range. The disclosure came in response to opposition lawmaker Nurul Amin Hamid, who asked about the ministry’s connectivity standards and timetable for digital and AI learning.

The figures describe a defined six-state group, not Malaysia’s national school total. They show a fibre-infrastructure gap, not a count of completely disconnected campuses. The reported 300–800 Mbps range also does not establish the connection speed experienced by each student or teacher during lessons. Classroom performance depends on how bandwidth is shared, the condition of local networks and how reliably services operate.

Sources:
- [1,180 Sekolah Di Enam Negeri Belum Nikmati Internet Gentian Optik - KPM](https://web26.bernama.com/bm/am/news.php?id=2632725) — Bernama
- [Sarawak tops six states with 759 schools without fibre, faces AI education challenge](https://dayakdaily.com/sarawak-tops-six-states-with-759-schools-without-fibre-faces-ai-education-challenge/) — DayakDaily

## Where the gaps are concentrated

Bernama reported 759 schools without fibre in Sarawak, followed by 181 in Pahang, 177 in Sabah, 45 in Kelantan, 14 in Kedah and four in Terengganu. Those six counts add up to 1,180. Sarawak therefore represents the largest absolute share of the disclosed gap. Wong attributed difficulty connecting interior schools partly to geographical scale and the logistics of building terrestrial networks in remote areas.

The numbers do not establish why every individual school remains without fibre or whether its current connection meets teaching needs. The regional distribution is nevertheless relevant to procurement and rollout decisions: a single national installation target can conceal very different delivery costs and operating constraints. A more useful public scorecard would show the status of upgrades alongside the service actually available at each school.

Sources:
- [1,180 Sekolah Di Enam Negeri Belum Nikmati Internet Gentian Optik - KPM](https://web26.bernama.com/bm/am/news.php?id=2632725) — Bernama
- [Sarawak tops six states with 759 schools without fibre, faces AI education challenge](https://dayakdaily.com/sarawak-tops-six-states-with-759-schools-without-fibre-faces-ai-education-challenge/) — DayakDaily

## A school without fibre is not necessarily offline

Wong said schools without a fibre connection had been supplied with internet through wireless broadband and satellite technologies. That qualification matters. A discussion about missing fibre should not erase the access delivered through other systems, particularly in places where laying cable is difficult or slow. Nor does it establish that every alternative service is adequate for every teaching task.

The parliamentary figures made public through news reports do not measure uptime, latency, simultaneous classroom use or in-building Wi-Fi coverage. Those measures could help distinguish a connection that supports routine teaching from one that struggles during video lessons, online assessments or shared cloud applications. The available evidence does not establish how many classes were disrupted, nor does it support a claim that students at the 1,180 schools were unable to study.

Sources:
- [1,180 Sekolah Di Enam Negeri Belum Nikmati Internet Gentian Optik - KPM](https://web26.bernama.com/bm/am/news.php?id=2632725) — Bernama
- [Sarawak tops six states with 759 schools without fibre, faces AI education challenge](https://dayakdaily.com/sarawak-tops-six-states-with-759-schools-without-fibre-faces-ai-education-challenge/) — DayakDaily

## An AI rollout with several distinct milestones

Wong described a phased education strategy under the Digital Education Policy and the Malaysia Education Plan 2026–2035. For 2026–2027, he referred to foundations for digital learning, DELIMa 3.0 and AI-powered classroom pilots in 27 selected schools. For 2028–2030, the ministry envisages wider implementation according to institutional readiness, including devices, stable connections, Wi-Fi and teacher skills. Its 2031–2035 ambition includes broader AI-supported personalised learning and LAN and WAN infrastructure.

This is a planning horizon rather than proof that all schools will reach the same standard by a given date. An important timeline qualification also emerged before the November 11 debate: in an October 29 parliamentary answer reported by Bernama, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said 27 pilot AI-powered classrooms had already been established. That earlier description should be reconciled with the November 11 discussion of pilot implementation; neither statement alone verifies how well the classrooms work or where they are located.

Sources:
- [1,180 Sekolah Di Enam Negeri Belum Nikmati Internet Gentian Optik - KPM](https://web26.bernama.com/bm/am/news.php?id=2632725) — Bernama
- [Sarawak tops six states with 759 schools without fibre, faces AI education challenge](https://dayakdaily.com/sarawak-tops-six-states-with-759-schools-without-fibre-faces-ai-education-challenge/) — DayakDaily
- [329,414 Teachers, 1.5 Mln Students Receive AI Training - Fadhlina](https://web26.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2627252) — Bernama
- [Dokumen Penuh Rancangan Pendidikan Malaysia (RPM) 2026–2035](https://www.moe.gov.my/dokumen-penuh-rancangan-pendidikan-malaysia-rpm-2026-2035) — Ministry of Education Malaysia

## Digital safety needs its own evidence

Wong also discussed a ministry AI literacy framework intended to address governance, teaching and learning, lifelong learning and ethics. The Education Ministry maintains an official page for its 2026 Circular No. 2 and accompanying AI literacy guide. Those documents provide a policy reference point distinct from the day’s reported parliamentary remarks.

Questions about manipulated or indecent AI-generated images involving students and teachers arose in the parliamentary exchange. They should be understood as safeguarding concerns, not evidence that any such incident took place at the schools counted as lacking fibre. Rules and training can describe what responsible AI use should look like, but claims about their effects require evidence of implementation, school reporting practices and outcomes.

Sources:
- [1,180 Sekolah Di Enam Negeri Belum Nikmati Internet Gentian Optik - KPM](https://web26.bernama.com/bm/am/news.php?id=2632725) — Bernama
- [Sarawak tops six states with 759 schools without fibre, faces AI education challenge](https://dayakdaily.com/sarawak-tops-six-states-with-759-schools-without-fibre-faces-ai-education-challenge/) — DayakDaily
- [Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas KPM Bil. 2 Tahun 2026: Panduan Literasi Kecerdasan Buatan (AI)](https://www.moe.gov.my/surat-pekeliling-ikhtisas-kpm-ai) — Ministry of Education Malaysia

## What delivery reporting should show next

The next meaningful update should identify how many of the 1,180 schools obtain fibre, and which continue to rely on alternatives that meet demonstrable classroom requirements. It should also distinguish network installation from service reliability and classroom access. Even a completed connection is only one part of a digital education system that requires devices, maintenance, teacher support and clear safeguards.

The November 11 disclosure establishes a concrete infrastructure gap in six states and sets it beside a decade-long education strategy. It does not prove that the reform has failed, and the timetable does not guarantee its success. The fairest test will be measurable improvements in access and teaching conditions in the schools facing the greatest logistical obstacles.

Sources:
- [1,180 Sekolah Di Enam Negeri Belum Nikmati Internet Gentian Optik - KPM](https://web26.bernama.com/bm/am/news.php?id=2632725) — Bernama
- [Sarawak tops six states with 759 schools without fibre, faces AI education challenge](https://dayakdaily.com/sarawak-tops-six-states-with-759-schools-without-fibre-faces-ai-education-challenge/) — DayakDaily
- [Dokumen Penuh Rancangan Pendidikan Malaysia (RPM) 2026–2035](https://www.moe.gov.my/dokumen-penuh-rancangan-pendidikan-malaysia-rpm-2026-2035) — Ministry of Education Malaysia

## About this article

This article reflects the public sources available on the publication and update dates shown above. For developing stories, follow the linked source pages for subsequent statements or decisions.

## Sources and further reading

- [1,180 Sekolah Di Enam Negeri Belum Nikmati Internet Gentian Optik - KPM](https://web26.bernama.com/bm/am/news.php?id=2632725) — Bernama (published 2026-11-11) (accessed 2026-11-11)
- [Sarawak tops six states with 759 schools without fibre, faces AI education challenge](https://dayakdaily.com/sarawak-tops-six-states-with-759-schools-without-fibre-faces-ai-education-challenge/) — DayakDaily (published 2026-11-11) (accessed 2026-11-11)
- [329,414 Teachers, 1.5 Mln Students Receive AI Training - Fadhlina](https://web26.bernama.com/en/news.php?id=2627252) — Bernama (published 2026-10-29) (accessed 2026-11-11)
- [Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas KPM Bil. 2 Tahun 2026: Panduan Literasi Kecerdasan Buatan (AI)](https://www.moe.gov.my/surat-pekeliling-ikhtisas-kpm-ai) — Ministry of Education Malaysia (published 2026-05-13) (accessed 2026-11-11)
- [Dokumen Penuh Rancangan Pendidikan Malaysia (RPM) 2026–2035](https://www.moe.gov.my/dokumen-penuh-rancangan-pendidikan-malaysia-rpm-2026-2035) — Ministry of Education Malaysia (accessed 2026-11-11)