AEON Credit Service (M) Berhad (“AEON Credit” or the “Group”), a leading non-bank financial services provider in Malaysia, contributes RM 1 million towards the Malaysian AEON Foundation’s (“MAF” or the “Foundation”) ‘Smart Classroom Project’ which is aimed at providing quality education through the restoration and digitalisation of existing classroom experiences in schools.

A handover ceremony was held at Sekolah Kebangsaan Mengkuang in Bukit Mertajam, Penang on 26
March 2023. It was officiated by Puan Fadhlina Binti Sidek, Minister of Education, with Datin Noryahwati Binti Mohd. Noh, President of MAF. Also, present at the ceremony were Dato’ Hj. Pkharuddin Bin Hj. Ghazali, Education Director-General and Tuan Haji Abdul Rashid Bin Abdul Samad, the Penang State Education Director. The other guests were Ministry and State Education Department officers, MAF Committee Members and AEON Group of Companies Senior Management.

The ‘Smart Classroom Project’ with a total of RM2 million, represents an extension of the Foundation ‘AEON Sayap Bagimu’ which was first launched in September 2021 benefitting 4,150 secondary students nationwide. The sustainable community initiative aims to enhance digital learning in schools across the country and to help bridge the education gap for students from lowincome families by providing equal learning opportunities and with a commitment to strengthen their readiness in realising the aspiration of developing Malaysia as a digital nation. To date, under ‘AEON Sayap Bagimu’ program, AEON Credit and AEON CO. (M) Bhd. (“AEON Co”) have sponsored a total of RM2 million worth of 4,150 units Samsung Galaxy Tabs with Unifi Mobile internet connections and online tuition classes in 2021, which were distributed to students from eligible low-income families around Malaysia.

AEON Credit Managing Director and Vice President II of MAF Daisuke Maeda commented that the ‘Smart Classroom Project’ represents AEON Credit’s social pillar commitment under its 3-years Sustainability Roadmap to improve digital literacy in schools and is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (“UN SDG Goal 4”) of Quality Education, in ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

“We are grateful to the Malaysian AEON Foundation for giving us the opportunity to play an integral part in providing better education for the students across the country. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Ministry of Education Malaysia and Yayasan Didik Negara for their unwavering support”.

“It is a fundamental right that every child deserves a quality education, and we are aware of the challenges faced by both students and schools. Through the ‘Smart Classroom Project’, students will have the necessary support to succeed in their studies through smart classroom facilities which shall be equipped with the latest audio-visual facilities and infrastructure that is suitable for modern learning methods.”

The Smart Classroom Project will be rolled out across 40 secondary and primary schools in 10 states nationwide, and in the future engagement programmes to promote digital literacy among students and their communities will be initiated with the aim to reduce the digital literacy gap. “This project does not only help students excel in school, but it also plays an important role in encouraging students to continue their education by creating a fun and conducive smart learning environment for them.”

To date, the Foundation itself has contributed more than RM20 million in total for philanthropic activities in the areas of education, festivities and during natural calamity including throughout the Movement Control Order where families affected by the lockdowns received homecare boxes.