MDEC has delivered the first Digital Maker Hub under its Digital IPI (Digital Transformation of Islamic Educational Institutions) program to Pondok Darul Furqan in Tambun, Perak. The handover, which took place on 10 July 2026, marks a key milestone in the national initiative co-led with the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), aimed at expanding access to digital skills and future-ready technologies among Islamic educational institutions.
Digital IPI Program Equips Islamic Institutions with AI and Technology Tools
The Digital Maker Hub at Pondok Darul Furqan is set up as an interactive learning space equipped with laptops, internet connectivity, interactive smartboards, robotics kits, microcontroller kits, and various supporting tools. The facility is designed to give students and teachers hands-on exposure to digital technology, enabling them to develop creativity, build confidence, and acquire skills relevant to the digital economy.
Thirty students and five teachers from Pondok Darul Furqan took part in a two-day MetaSkool Metaverse Programme held alongside the handover. The programme provided participants with practical, interactive exposure to metaverse technology, encouraging creative thinking, experience-based learning, and exploration of new ideas.
MDEC CEO Anuar Fariz Fadzil said the corporation is committed to inclusive talent development, ensuring that no community is left behind as Malaysia moves toward becoming an AI Nation by 2030. According to him, the Digital IPI programme and the Digital Maker Hub are intended to give Islamic institution teachers and students the space to become more technologically literate, and to contribute as creators and innovators in the national digital economy, in line with the Malaysia Digital Action Plan 2030.
The handover ceremony was attended by Mazlan Zurin Zulkifli, Deputy Director of the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister’s Department Perak; Shamsul Bahrain Hashim, Senior Assistant Director of the Education Sector at the Perak State Education Department; and Haji Dato’ Rozi Puteh Ismail, Chairman of Tahfiz Rendah Darul Furqan and Chairman of Masjid Al-Amin.
Five More Islamic Institutions to Receive Digital Maker Hubs
Pondok Darul Furqan is the first of six pilot Islamic educational institutions under the Digital IPI initiative. The remaining five institutions set to receive their own Digital Maker Hubs are Maahad Tarbiah Islamiah in Kedah, Pusat Pengajian Pondok Kampung Telong in Kelantan, Institut Ahmad Ibni Idris (SAIFI) in Negeri Sembilan, Ribath Al-Musthofa in Pahang, and Maahad Ihya Ulumiddin in Pulau Pinang.
The Digital IPI program was officially launched by the Prime Minister in March 2026 as part of the MADANI Government’s effort to ensure Islamic educational communities have access to digital skills and future technologies. The program is projected to benefit more than 3,000 students and 50 teachers through training modules covering digital and AI literacy, digital creativity, immersive learning, metaverse technology, and content development.
Pokdepinion: Teaching robotics and metaverse skills at a pondok is genuinely one of the more unexpected crossovers in Malaysia, but if it puts future-ready tools in the hands of students who would otherwise be the last to get them, that is exactly the kind of initiative worth paying attention to.
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