- Over 41 per cent of Malaysians viewed AI positively in education, though 29 per cent support banning ChatGPT in schools, up from 23 per cent in 2023.
- More than half of Malaysian respondents supported banning smartphones in schools, while 71 per cent advocate for restricting social media use among children under 14.
- A majority of Malaysians believed that teachers should be responsible for basic literacy, numeracy, and social skills, while parents should primarily handle sex education and foster a love for reading.
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 – Over 41 per cent of Malaysians believe that artificial intelligence (AI) will have a positive impact on education — with only 16 per cent expressing concerns about potential negative effects — according to a recent survey by global pollster Ipsos.
The Ipsos Education Monitor 2024 report released yesterday found that 29 per cent of Malaysian respondents however supported banning ChatGPT in schools, compared to 23 per cent in 2023.
Regarding the debate on smartphones in schools, over 51 per cent of Malaysian respondents favoured a ban, while 38 per cent were against it.
Malaysia, alongside Romania and Turkiye, ranked relatively high in support for a smartphone ban, slightly surpassing Mexico and Sweden, where 50 per cent were in favour.
In terms of restricting social media use among children under the age of 14, 71 per cent of Malaysians supported limitations both inside and outside of school, whereas 24 per cent disagreed.
Ipsos also found that a significant majority, 64 per cent, believe teachers should be responsible for ensuring children’s basic literacy and numeracy skills.
Malaysia ranked high in this regard, with only 31 per cent of respondents assigning this responsibility to parents.
Other findings include:
- 65 per cent of Malaysians felt that teachers and schools should provide career guidance.
- 56 per cent agreed that teaching digital literacy and online safety should fall under the teachers' or schools' responsibilities.
- Only 26 per cent believed that parents should handle bullying, while 69 per cent think it should be addressed by teachers or schools.
- 54 per cent of respondents believing teachers or schools should develop children’s social skills.
- When it comes to fostering a love for reading, 56 per cent think that responsibility lies with parents not teachers
Significantly, the survey also revealed that 47 per cent of Malaysian respondents believe parents should be primarily responsible for sex education, while only 37 per cent think it should be the role of teachers or schools.
On average, 56 per cent of respondents among the 30 countries said that this is a primary responsibility of the parents.
The survey had interviewed 23,754 online adults across 30 countries between June 21 and July 5 this year.
A total of 500 respondents were from Malaysia, aged between 18 and 74.
