KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 — The subject of Design and Technology (RBT) related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), computer programming and robotics will be introduced to Year Four Pupils beginning 2020.

The Ministry of Education’s Curriculum Development Division deputy director Datin Ng Soo Boon was quoted by The Star as saying pupils will be taught algorithms on how to develop both simple and more complicated computer programmes.

She explained how software like Arduino Micro Bit will be introduced to students at a primary school level under RBT, to expose them to Robotics, AI, and the coding and programming of hardware.

"From next year, they will also learn how to use Scratch, a freeware for coding and other resources,” she was quoted as saying in the report.

RBT was introduced as subject to Form One pupils since 2017, with coding also already being taught in secondary schools via Basics in Computer Science (Asas Sains Komputer) and Computer Science (Sains Komputer).

These subjects, the report explained, exposed students to the use of simple coding methods using Microsoft Visual Basic, JAVA, HTML, Javascript, Microsoft Access, MySQL, XAMPP and Notepad.

The report also quoted Ng as saying the ministry will do away with specific subjects on Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, explaining that this will be integrated into subjects where students will be required to use the software to prepare presentations.

She added the ministry has been cooperating over the past few months with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation in training lecturers at the Institutes of Teacher Education (IPG), adding that the ministry aims to train about 500 teachers in adequate coding skills.