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Monday, September 7, 2026

Free AI skills for 100,000 youths - AI COURDES

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PETALING JAYA: Some 100,000 Malaysian youths will have the opportunity to strengthen their digital skills and gain hands-on artificial intelligence (AI) experience under the government’s AI Untuk Rakyat programme.

Upon completing six self-paced modules, participants can access premium AI tools for academic work, creative projects and ­professional tasks, including Google’s Gemini, YTL’s ILMUChat, Alibaba Cloud’s MuleRun and WonderClip.

The modules have no time limit, but participants must complete each subsection before progressing.

Explanations are in simple English and Bahasa Malaysia.

To begin, applicants must log into the Rakyat Digital portal by scanning a QR code with their MyDigital ID, then access the six courses through the dashboard.

The first module outlines Malay­sia’s AI goals, linking the programme to the government’s economic framework to “raise the ceiling” by growing national wealth and “raise the floor” by improving living standards.

It also explains how AI should benefit Malaysians while streng­thening the country’s AI capabi­lities.

The module outlines six govern­ment core values – sustainability, prosperity, compassion, trust, respect and innovation – and how they apply to AI.

Participants are reminded that AI should be used responsibly, shared fairly and developed to benefit people and the environment.

The second module introduces youths to agentic AI systems that can take initiative instead of ­waiting for user prompts.

Learners explore its history, mechanics and applications through exercises using Copilot and ChatGPT.

The portal said the course demonstrates how agentic AI can handle everyday tasks, helping users direct technology to work for them.

The third module focuses on building trustworthy AI, stressing fairness, transparency, accoun­tability, privacy and human- centric design.

Learners explore positive and negative applications of deepfakes and why the challenge lies not in the technology itself, but in how it is used.

Local case studies show how the lessons can be applied.

The fourth module introduces cloud computing, allowing users to store data, run applications and access computing resources without expensive hardware.

“There are three common core cloud services which are Infra­structure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS).

“Each offers unique benefits tailored to different organisa­tional needs,” the portal said.

The fifth module – CyberSAFE untuk Rakyat – covers cyber­security and personal data protection, ­explai­ning threats such as ­malware, phishing and ransomware.

It highlights antivirus software, strong passwords, multi- factor authentication as well as regular updates.

It also explains the regulatory framework under personal data protection laws, including child­ren’s online safety, open communication, parental controls and active supervision.

The final module traces AI’s evolution from systems that ­analyse data to generative AI that creates text, images and music.

“Learners are introduced to prompting techniques, the advantages and challenges of gene­rative AI and key buzzwords such as natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs).

“The aim is to give participants both conceptual understanding and practical skills to engage confidently with modern AI tools,” the portal said.

After completing the modules, participants can redeem one of the four AI tools free for three months.

In a statement on Aug 30, the Digital Ministry said the initiative would give youths opportunities to explore advanced technology, enhance creativity, productivity and digital skills, and build ­confidence in using emerging technologies responsibly.

“This is in line with Malaysia’s aspiration to develop an inclusive AI Nation by 2030, aligned with the Malaysia Digital 2030 aspirations,” it said.

The programme was anno­unced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the 2026 National Day Premier Address at the Putrajaya Inter­national Convention Centre on Aug 30.

NOTES:

To log in to the Rakyat Digital portal and access your courses, follow these sequential steps:
  1. Open the Rakyat Digital portal on your computer or tablet web browser.
  2. Select the MyDigital ID login option on the main sign-in page to display the unique QR code.
  3. Open the MyDigital ID app on your smartphone.
  4. Tap the QR scanner icon within the app interface.
  5. Scan the QR code displayed on your computer screen using your phone's camera.
  6. Authenticate the request on your phone by entering your PIN or using biometrics (fingerprint/face recognition).
  7. Navigate the dashboard on your computer screen once the portal redirects you.
  8. Click on the courses section to view and start your six enrolled courses.
Are you experiencing any specific error messages while scanning, or do you need help navigating the dashboard once you are logged in?
A modern, accessible learning platform for digital skills.
Missing: .open

Thursday, August 13, 2026

RCI revealsTabung Haji billions lost through illegal creative accounting

 


Revelations: Zulkifli speaking during the special sitting on the RCI into TH, in Parliament. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) entered into high-risk investments, which resulted in billions in losses, because it faced pressure to declare high dividends.

Also identified were breaches of accounting ­standards and financial reporting that did not reflect the actual ­position of the board.

These were among the issues flagged by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the ­institution, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan said.

He said the RCI report ­identified 14 problematic investments.

Among them were Putrajaya Perdana, Al-Rawda, PT TH Indo Plantations, Trurich and FGV, which involved the interests of certain parties.

“For example, in 2015, 2016 and 2017, TH leased four hotels in Mecca and Madinah and paid approximately RM1.55bil upfront to Al-Rawda for leases ranging from 10 to 18 years. This was an unusual and highly ‘abnormal’ transaction,” he said.

Al-Rawda was appointed as the operator of all four hotels and in exchange, TH was given promissory notes personally guaranteed by the owner of Al-Rawda.

“Since March 2019, Al-Rawda has failed to pay the rental income, and TH initiated enforcement proceedings in Saudi Arabia.

“Arbitration proceedings commenced by Al-Rawda against TH were ultimately resolved through a final award dated April 16, 2023 in favour of TH. Al-Rawda was ordered to pay SAR899mil (RM982mil)

The RCI flagged the listing of FGV Holdings, which although raised RM10bil during its initial public offering (IPO), had resulted in loses amounting to more than RM1bil for TH when its share prices plunged.

Investments related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), including its link to Putrajaya Perdana and the ­purchase of land in TRX when the CEO of Tabung Haji was also ­sitting on the board of 1MDB, were also flagged.

Zulkifli said the RCI found that profit distributions made before 2018 did not reflect TH’s actual financial position and were inconsistent with the requirements of the Tabung Haji Act, which requires assets to exceed liabilities.

He added the RCI found that financial statements were manipulated through creative accounting, breaches of Malaysian Financial Reporting Standards (MFRS), and repeated changes to impairment policies.

He said the impairment was only recognised when the ­market value of the assets fell by 70% from the original investment cost.

“This was subsequently changed to 85% and then to 90% within a single day during the 2017 financial year.

“For example, for an original share investment of RM1,000, impairment would only be recognised when the market value of the shares fell to RM100.

“In reality, if the investment had been sold in the market at that point, TH would have recovered only RM100 rather than RM1,000 as stated in the financial statements,” he said.

This, he said, allowed TH to show a profit for that year when it should have shown a loss, ­adding that this was also approved by the minister in charge at the time.

Asset values were also presented using the Realisable Asset Value method outside the audited financial statements, despite the method not complying with accounting standards, so that it would appear that TH’s assets exceeded their liabilities. All of which was confirmed in an audit report in 2018.

The RCI also highlighted financial reporting practices, whereby certain losses were not properly recognised in the income statement and balance sheet, resulting in “falsified profits”.

He said that had TH applied the MFRS standards, it would have recorded a net loss of RM1.4bil instead of a profit of RM3.4bil for 2017.

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