Yayasan Telekom Malaysia (YTM) today announced that it is increasing its scholarships as well as offerings in its development programme in 2022, as part of its effort to nurture future leaders in the digital space.
YTM is making available 230 scholarships compared to 100 last year, comprising 200 local and 30 international YTM Future Leaders scholarships, in addition to 1,500 Form 4 to Form 5 Young Leaders scholarships from only 100 previously – a total of 724% increase in scholarship opportunities.
At a virtual media briefing held today, Izlyn Ramli, Director of YTM said, “As a purpose-driven social impact foundation, our objective as part of and together with TM Group, is to fulfil our role in nation-building as the enabler of Digital Malaysia, as well as supporting the Social aspect in TM’s enhanced Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts.”
Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), via YTM has long been a strong supporter in nation-building, and especially in Education. Since YTM’s establishment in 1994, more than RM584 million has been disbursed for education, development programmes and various donations, benefiting more than 16,000 students, deserving individuals and organisations. With the aim of delivering even greater impact to the society at large, YTM has embarked on a transformation journey in 2021, with three (3) strengthened pillars namely Education, Community & Nation Building, and Tourism, Culture & Heritage.
“YTM aims to leverage on the Group’s strength in delivering human-centred technology and digital solutions as well as in nurturing a digital workforce, to help better lives and livelihoods in target segments of society with impactful sustainable programmes via our three pillars,” said Izlyn. “We believe that Education, our first pillar, is the greatest enabler for change and social impact. Hence, a key strategy in YTM’s transformation journey is to reposition this pillar to reflect that commitment.”
“We are also formalising our Structured Development Programme leveraging on our flagship TM Future Skills module which covers both Digital and Employability Skills to help develop our scholars throughout their undergraduate years to become holistic, work-ready professionals with an entrepreneurial mindset, perseverance and ready to drive IR4.0. upon graduation. Alhamdulillah, over the last three years, 35% of our 495 scholars graduated with 1st Class Honours, and of our 253 active scholars, 68% are in the Dean’s list, a testament to their great potential. YTM remains passionate about developing these and more future digital leaders to empower Malaysia’s digital economy,” she added.
Annually, YTM offers scholarships to all Malaysians with an outstanding academic record, leadership skills, and a strong desire to succeed. Students who are qualified for these scholarships are chosen based on a number of additional criteria, such as socio-economic background, high intelligence quotient (IQ) test scores, and interview screening. Students can apply online at https://www.tm.com.my/yayasantm during the application period. Announcements will be made through YTM’s official social media assets on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Abd Hamid Hashim, Head of Education, YTM added, “Other than YTM’s custom-designed Structured Development Programme, one differentiator for YTM is that as part of TM Group, we have our own Multimedia University (MMU), a Premier Digital Tech University, and TM Research & Development (TM R&D) as well as close relationship with key industry players. This makes for a ready ecosystem to develop future digital leaders, to drive IR 4.0. and beyond.
“We understand the critical role that education plays in securing Malaysia's long-term development as a nation and in developing tomorrow's leaders. YTM will continue to support educational excellence as part of our transformation journey and aspirations to ensure a steady highly qualified digital talent funnel to help fuel Digital Malaysia. This is in line with the MyDIGITAL government blueprint, yet also fulfils YTM’s role as a foundation to support the underprivileged with great potential.” he concluded.
More details of YTM scholarships and financial assistance equipped with custom-designed structured development programmes are as follows:
YTM flagship scholarship programmes:
- Future Leaders Scholarship
Full scholarship programme to pursue undergraduate studies in higher education institutions, local and international.
- Young Leaders Scholarship
Financial assistance for deserving students who excel in academic and are active in co-curriculum.
- TM Edu-Assist Programme
Financial assistance for eligible TM Group employees to pursue higher education or professional courses at local institutions.
Other YTM education programmes:
- TM Future Skills
YTM’s flagship initiative is a unique STEM based programme that is acknowledged by Pusat STEM Negara and gaining traction in over 500 schools, reaching more than 12,000 student and teachers. It aims to empower them by equipping them with IR4. 0-centric kits and knowledge, such as the TM 3Ducation – 3D printing module and the TM Nano Maker, a real-time data logging tool for STEM; as well as soft skills to develop digital confidence.
- YTM TM Future Skills Champion Schools Adoption
Bridging the digital gap by adopting selected schools as a STEM hub to improve academic and non-academic achievement while engaging students, teachers and parents holistically.
- YTM TVET Programme
Reskill and upskill Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates through digital opportunities and solutions.
- YTM Future Environmental Leaders
Creating awareness among the younger generation on the need to demonstrate sustainable care for the environment through high-impact programs that focus on biodiversity and conservation.
- YTM Reaching Out Programme
Providing after-school activities, Career Talks and motivation for secondary school students and A-Level students.
- Promotion Of Digital Learning
“Sekolah Enuma” it is a cost-effective digital application that supports digital learning for children through games, books and videos.
In 2021, YTM was also active in its two (2) other pillars: Community & Nation-Building as well as Tourism, Culture & Heritage. For Community & Nation-Building the objective is to empower sustainable livelihoods for diverse community groups. On COVID-19 related initiatives, TM and YTM have thus far channelled close to RM20 million to assist close to 90,000 families, through various government, GLCs Disaster Response Network (GDRN) and own initiatives, with connectivity and device-related assistance via unifi, CERDIK and MYBaikHati, providing medical and food supplies as well as volunteerism. Notably, TM’s own food bank programme “Inisiatif Tolong Menolong”, via YTM lent support and aid to more than 150 affected Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) businesses and the communities they serve during this challenging pandemic period.
This year to date, TM and YTM have contributed more than RM22mil in post-flood relief efforts, to assist close to 1,797 families, 395 students, 3,000 individuals and frontliners covering Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Pahang and Johor in a form of basic needs, household appliances, back to school supplies, psychosocial support and connectivity restoration in affected areas.
YTM jump started its third pillar of Tourism, Culture & Heritage in late 2021 with the aim of preserving and celebrating the best of Malaysia; enhancing digital content and experience. This saw the reactivation of Muzium Telekom as a digital arts and technology public gallery event showcase, part of CENDANA’s Art in the City KLWKND programme, attracting more than 3,000 visitors. YTM also supported more than 200 performers from Musicians for Musicians via their Facebook page and promoted them on unifi TV, as well as launched the Young Filmmaker 2021 programme that opens up opportunities for young talents to express their creative ideas, talents and enhance their potential in professional filmmaking
As YTM continues on its transformation journey towards a purpose-driven, social impact foundation, it will also be adopting a more collaborative model, leveraging on the collective strengths across the TM Group to run its programmes; supporting the overall ecosystem with like-minded organisations for greater socio-economic impact outcomes.
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Yayasan TM, Teach For Malaysia and Enuma, inc. Bring “Sekolah Enuma” digital learning application to young students in malaysia
Offline learning tool a critical resource for parents and teachers in supporting the children especially those from underserved communities with limited access to the internet, computer devices and appropriate learning materials The pandemic and the ensuing movement restrictions have been very disruptive to students, in particular those forced to rely on online lessons but face limited access to the necessary tools and connectivity. To help address these learning challenges faced by over a million Malaysian students aged five (5) to eight (8), Yayasan TM (YTM), the foundation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), is collaborating with Teach For Malaysia, a not-for-profit advocate for education and Enuma, Inc., a global company focused on digital learning programmes, to bring the Enuma School digital learning application to Malaysia. In this collaboration, YTM is sponsoring the field test of the localised version of the app, which will be known as Sekolah Enuma Malaysia, to 600 students in various communities in Sarawak, Sabah and Kuala Lumpur. Enuma School has been commercially successful in the B2C markets in the US, Korea, Japan, China and Indonesia. Its exceptional Kitkit School programme, winner of the prestigious USD15 million Global Learning XPRIZE (2019), has been used in over 50 countries through schools serving children in under-resourced environments. All its learning activities are carefully and meticulously mapped to specific learning objectives and support individualised learning paths depending on the current level of each student, so students can learn by themselves. This platform will greatly complement the current home-based teaching and learning (PdPR). Sekolah Enuma Malaysia was officially launched in a ceremony by Mohd Najib Ab Rahman, Director of Jabatan Pendidikan Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur together with Izlyn Ramli, Director of YTM; and Sooinn Lee, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Enuma, Inc. This virtual session was also joined by Chan Soon Seng, Chief Executive Officer of Teach For Malaysia. Commenting on this project, Izlyn Ramli said, "This collaboration is a natural extension of YTM's existing strong support for the education ecosystem especially in promoting digital learning among pre- and primary school students. It is also aligned with Telekom Malaysia Berhad's (TM) aspiration to enable Digital Malaysia while supporting the government's agenda in digital education transformation. This offline, game-based digital application will encourage and ease the learning of Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mathematics in a fun and interactive learning process". The Sekolah Enuma field test began on 28 March 2022, involving 600 students, the majority of whom comes from the B40 communities particularly in Kuala Lumpur, indigenous communities in Sarawak and stateless communities in Sabah. Meanwhile, Chan Soon Seng said that Teach For Malaysia is thrilled to work with YTM and Enuma to address the learning challenges faced by students, including those from underserved communities with limited access to internet, devices and appropriate learning materials. "We hope Sekolah Enuma will significantly help to close the equity gap in learning across all segments of society and increase each student's learning outcomes to meet the Ministry of Education's (MOE) goal for full basic literacy and numeracy by standard three," he added. Learning with the Sekolah Enuma app will facilitate and individualise the learning path for each student through in-app placement tests and check-in quizzes, so students learn at a level and pace that is just right for them. They learn through playing child-friendly games developed by seasoned designers which make learning fun, engaging, and self-directed. The app enables each student to learn independently and be the driver of their own learning journey. The standardised content, developed by global and local education experts, is aligned with the MOE curriculum. Accompanying the app is a web-based Learning Management System (LMS) that allows teachers and administrators to manage and track the performance and progress of the students using the app. "Our app contains thousands of learning activities, dozens of games, hundreds of child-friendly e-books and videos. Many are tailor-made based on Malaysian culture and values. It works on Android tablets and smartphones and does not require an internet connection once the app is downloaded," explained Enuma's Sooinn Lee. "Sekolah Enuma is particularly suitable to be used in remote locations and communities where there is a shortage of trained teachers as well as limited internet connectivity." Corporate partners and foundations keen to support the second phase of Sekolah Enuma, which is expected to be launched in Q4 2022, are encouraged to contact Yayasan TM, Teach For Malaysia, or Enuma, Inc. Schools and communities interested in participating in this next phase are also encouraged to do the same. For more information on Sekolah Enuma, please visit www.sekolahenuma.com

Yayasan TM in collaboration with CENDANA transforms Muzium Telekom into engaging public digital arts space as part of art in the city's inaugural KLWKND
Through the marriage of technology and arts, Yayasan TM (YTM) continues its ongoing mission to preserve and celebrate the nation's arts, culture and heritage by transforming Muzium Telekom into an engaging public digital arts space, thanks to a ground-breaking collaboration with the Cultural Economy Development Agency (CENDANA). The collaboration is in support of the agency's Art In The City Programme, via its inaugural KLWKND event. KLWKND is a series of exciting events happening from 25 to 28 November 2021 created to make arts and culture accessible to all walks of life. KLWKND is set to transform downtown KL into a vibrant, truly immersive hub for creativity, arts and culture with various activities planned, all throughout the four (4) day programme including dance, music, opera, fashion, architecture, food, visual arts, design, creative products, traditional crafts, literature, history and more. In amongst the activities, YTM is honoured to be part of KLWKND placing Muzium Telekom as the centrepiece where art meets technology. The 93-year old heritage building will be transformed as SITULAH, a public digital arts showcase. Since 1994, the museum has been showcasing the history and evolution of telecommunications in Malaysia. Befitting the times, YTM aims to reinvigorate this beautiful historic building as an engaging hub that connect the dots across the many facets within the TM Group, showcasing talents from Multimedia University (MMU) students, alumni and faculty in digital, creative and cinematic arts as well as TM's heritage and innovation in telecommunications. True to its collaborative spirit, YTM is working with CENDANA together with Joe Sidek Productions and other esteemed figures in the arts community including gifted visual and performing artists; whilst supporting local Food & Beverage businesses during the festival period and beyond. Muzium Telekom as SITULAH at KLWKND carries the exhibition theme of Traverse – Motions Through Time, a showcase of art and technology traversing without borders across time, mediums and cultures, in a vibrant interdependent ecosystem. As the visitors move through the museum, the artworks will guide them through an exploration into the past, present and future. Addressing the transformation of telecommunication institutions (TM Group, Muzium Telekom and MMU) in the age of digital evolution, contained within four (4) chapters: ENTER, INTER(IN)VENTION, RETROSPECT, and EXPERIENCE. 'Traverse' asks the visitors - how do these historical shifts in the mediation of our perception reflect our beliefs in the function of these institutes in our media society. At 'Traverse – Motions Through Time' while the artists are embracing the new form of art-making, expressing their ideas in a novel and ingenious ways, YTM take the opportunity to inform the public of the emerging creative practices by encouraging public participation, reflection and immersive engagement with the new content produced by MMU students, faculty and alumni. Besides digital and creative arts, TM R&D and TM ONE also showcase their latest technology and innovations. Today, the exhibition hosted a VVIP walkabout, graced by YB Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia, accompanied by Dato' Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahim Haji Daud, YTM Board of Trustees Member; Izlyn Ramli, Director of YTM; Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer of TM Research & Development (TM R&D); Ainol Shaharina Sahar, Chief Executive Officer of Menara KL; Nor Azmi Mat Said, Chairman of MyCreative Ventures; Junady Nawawi, Group Chief Executive Officer of MyCreative Ventures; Izan Satrina Mohd Sallehuddin, Chief Executive Officer of CENDANA; and Joe Sidek, Director of KLWKND Festival. Holding on to the noble principle that no one gets left behind in this digital age, YTM is exhibiting the extraordinary visual talents of gifted artists in Malaysia for a charity sale during the event. Also taking part are visual artists from Persatuan Pelukis Negeri Perak who will be showcasing the Gutta Percha Trail Exhibition, the history of how a tree native to Malaysia played a crucial part in making the global submarine and telegraph network possible. With the exciting emergence of vast markets for non-fungible tokens (NFTs), YTM is also collaborating with DETIK, a unique Malaysian NFT project team who is organising the NFT-JAM Challenge where digital artists will meet up in the DETIK created Newsantara metaverse. This challenge aims to increase digital literacy reach so that creative communities can participate in the digital economy and earn potential income from their creative arts. This initiative will have presence in the Traverse exhibition and also feature some of the artwork displayed physically and digitally at Muzium Telekom. Commenting on the collaboration, Izlyn said, "As a purpose driven social impact foundation, YTM is committed to the Group's aspiration of enabling a Digital Malaysia via our three pillars of Education, Community and Nation-Building as well as Tourism, Culture and Heritage. The third pillar is dedicated to the sustainable development of Malaysian arts, culture and creative ventures. It is a necessary part for the preservation and celebration of our nation's heritage but also a key foundation to building our future. Creativity and innovation are not just confined to a certain sector; they are applicable across all aspects as well as being a key life skills. This must be nurtured and supported by all stakeholders for the betterment of society." "Malaysia has a wealth of talent, creativity and innovation but it needs that due attention and support to grow further and make an even greater mark in the world. How corporates can support the overall ecosystem should be considered from a strategic view – how they can enhance the scene with the core competencies they have so that the local arts industry creates greater impact and sustainability. YTM's role is in connecting the dots between the youth, talent and creativity to skills development, digital opportunities and collaborative partners; focusing on expanding traditional content and goods to digital platforms and solutions," she added. Meanwhile, as the main organiser, Izan Satrina said, "KLWKND is an integral part of Art In The City key to reach out, restart, revive and rebuild the economy for the arts and culture sector. To successfully implement such efforts, collaboration at all levels amongst the private and public sectors is needed to ensure involvement and ownership of the programme. Therefore, we are proud to partner with YTM and Joe Sidek Productions to build a greater impact for the sector and wrap up the year with a bang. Part of the arts includes us reflecting our history. The exhibition 'Traverse – Motions Through Time' complements this journey." YTM and its partners invite all to come and experience this exciting and immersive digital arts and innovations exhibition, Traverse – Motions Through Time from 25 – 28 November 2021 (10.00 am – 10.00 pm) as part of CENDANA's Art in The City inaugural KLWKND programme. There will also be cool prizes to be won from a special gamification competition feature of the exhibition journey!

K-KOMM Deputy Minister officiates Yayasan TM’s effort for most number of Gutta Percha planted within 24 hours
Recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records, campaign sees planting of 5,017 trees across 23 locations with 18 collaborative partners Yayasan TM (YTM), the foundation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), today launched The Largest Gutta Percha Tree-Planting Event in 24 hours, a Malaysia Book of Records certified campaign in conjunction with World Telecommunication and Information Society Day 2022. The project, inspired by the “Greening Malaysia; Our Trees, Our Life” campaign under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources that aims to preserve the country’s biological diversity, was co-organised with Yayasan Sukarelawan Siswa (YSS), and saw 1,000 student volunteers and TM’s own Reaching Out Volunteers (TM ROVers) working together to plant 5,017 Gutta Percha trees at 23 locations simultaneously. Launched by YB Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia, together with Dato’ Haji Rosli Isa, Secretary General, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, the campaign specifically chose the Gutta Percha tree species for its significant heritage status in Malaysia. Native to the country and known as Nyatoh Taban Merah to locals, the species was instrumental for the early beginnings of the global submarine telegraph network. In 1851, the latex from the Gutta Percha tree was discovered to be the best insulating material and led to the invention of the first submarine cable in the world. While it was replaced with polyethylene by the 1950s, this humble tree essentially spearheaded modern telecommunications capabilities globally. Hosting the event, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Abd. Ghafar Mahmud, Board of Trustee Member of YTM said, “This symbolic Gutta Percha tree-planting programme is a collaborative effort to protect our natural heritage and to honour the unique role it has played in connecting communities throughout the world. From its humble origins in our own forests, this species has transformed our communications capabilities, and it is now our duty to protect it for future generations.” Speaking at the launch, YB Datuk Zahidi said, “The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day this year is celebrated by industry players, agencies and corporate partners in their own unique ways. As we move with the fast pace of the digital world, we need to balance it with green conservation efforts to sustain our environment. I am thrilled and excited with today’s event that sees the preservation of Gutta Percha, a native and very important species particularly to telecommunications. Congratulations to YTM and YSS for this unique collaboration!” A total of 18 partners from local councils, institutions and universities also collaborated on this project, providing designated areas for Gutta Percha education, research and development, as well as participating in the tree-planting initiative. Besides YSS, these partners include: Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Jabatan Perhutanan Semenanjung Malaysia, Perbadanan Putrajaya, Majlis Perbandaran Sepang, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur, Multimedia University (MMU), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), University of Malaya (UM), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UITM), Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) and Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) as well as Mr DIY, Hara Makers and unifi. In addition to tree-planting, YTM is also supporting Buy for Impact’s social enterprise, Hara Makers, through their Reimagine Plastic environmental initiatives. The foundation is further helping economically-disadvantaged communities through an income-generating project to create upcycled volunteers’ hats for the Gutta Percha Tree-Planting event. Extending the impact of the project beyond the launch event, YTM, in partnership with unifi, is running an Adopt-A-Tree campaign via unifi Rewards points redemptions. unifi customers will have the opportunity to adopt a Gutta Percha tree by donating their points towards this effort via the myunifi application or portal. Through their support, the adopted trees will be planted within the 23 unifi Green Zones and customers will receive a digital certificate from YTM for their contribution. These initiatives tie in with TM Group’s Environmental, Societal and Governance (ESG) sustainability commitments, connecting the three components with Malaysia’s national heritage conservation as well as education efforts.