KUALA LUMPUR: Rakyat Digital, the government’s national digital learning platform, has attracted about 1.6 million sign-ups and is targeting five million learners by 2030 under Malaysia’s overall digital strategy.
Digital Ministry secretary-general Datuk Fabian Bigar said Malaysia’s AI Nation 2030 ambition is ultimately about people rather than technology alone, with the government seeking to equip Malaysians with the skills needed to participate in the digital economy.
“It’s not just about technology, because technology alone doesn’t create an economy. It’s the people. So you need to get the people ready,” he said at a media briefing on the Global Learning Pass under Rakyat Digital and the Malaysia Digital 2030 Action Plan (MD2030) today.
Fabian said MD2030 is structured around seven thrusts covering government, digital economy, infrastructure, talent, society, trust and security, and innovation.
MyDigital Corporation serves as the Project Management Office for the Ministry of Digital, drawing up action plans, monitoring results and coordinating implementation across the various agencies and ministries involved.
Fabian said the government’s approach to digital skills development is built around three areas – awareness, access and adoption.
The awareness component is aimed at helping Malaysians understand emerging technologies, while access provides pathways to acquire relevant knowledge and skills. Adoption focuses on applying those skills in workplaces, businesses and other real-world settings.
Rakyat Digital began with the AI Untuk Rakyat programme in 2023, followed by learning modules covering areas such as cybersecurity, cloud computing and blockchain. The next phase will include Rakyat Builders, which is intended to allow Malaysians to move beyond learning and start building with the tools and knowledge they acquire.
Fabian said different groups of Malaysians would require different learning pathways because they start from different levels of knowledge and digital exposure.
The Global Learning Pass represents the next stage of that learning journey, offering Malaysians government-funded access to Coursera’s online learning platform.
The pass became available on Sept 16 and provides access to about 16,000 courses and professional certificate programmes, with 100,000 licences to be distributed in phases.
Fabian said 15,000 Malaysians had registered their interest as of the day before the briefing, while 12,800 had activated their licences and started learning, representing an activation rate of about 85%.
He said the government would measure the programme based on outcomes rather than simply the number of licences distributed. “We judge partnerships by outcomes, not announcements. Success should ultimately be reflected in course completion, recognised credentials and the application of skills at work, in businesses or through new career pathways.”
The government-funded model is also intended to make digital learning more inclusive by removing cost and geographical barriers.
With learning delivered online and at the learner’s own pace, Malaysians outside major urban centres would also be able to access the same learning opportunities.
Fabian cited locations including Kota Bharu, Kangar, Limbang, Sandakan and Tawau as examples of where Malaysians could participate without having to relocate or travel to major cities.
He said the government’s broader objective was to ensure that Malaysia’s AI transition did not leave sections of society behind.
Coursera Asia-Pacific managing director Anthony Santoso Gupta said the five million target covers the broader digital transformation programmes available through Rakyat Digital and is not limited to artificial intelligence courses.
Anthony said the challenge was no longer simply getting organisations to adopt AI tools, but ensuring that employees understood how to use them effectively and that companies redesigned workflows and roles around the technology.
He said organisations often began with basic automation and cost reduction, while the productivity gains associated with AI required deeper changes in skills, processes and organisational structures.
The Global Learning Pass is part of the government’s broader MD2030 agenda, which seeks to strengthen Malaysia’s digital economy, digital talent and technology adoption as the country moves towards its 2030 targets.
Industry matching is being developed as a subsequent component, with plans to work with employers to connect trained Malaysians with relevant opportunities.
Current registration data provides information such as age and state through MyDigital ID, but does not capture occupation information for the programme, limiting the ability to assess participation by employment category.
The largest group of learners is currently aged between 18 and 35, although older Malaysians are also participating.
