freeschool.my has opened its doors just in time for fifth form students to begin their final SPM revision. The online resource offers a range of textbooks, seminars, exercises, and instructional videos for the Malaysian examination syllabus; and aims to bring learning in the country to the 21st century.
Funded by Brickfields Asia College, the site already houses 700 videos covering Additional Mathematics, Modern Mathematics, Science, Biology, Chemistry, and History. Accompanying these videos are free e-books designed to provide students with an easy reference document. Of course, the e-books also contain links back to the videos should students need a refresher.
The online resource is not technically new. Instead, it’s built on the foundation of Edunation; a resource similar to that of the Khan Academy from the United States. According to founder Raja Singham (who also happens to be the Managing Director of BAC), freeschool.my aims to bring the same sort of quality, but aimed at a more localised audience.
Science based subjects in particular receive extra attention due to a collaboration with Petrosains. Allowing the site perform demonstrations on the applications of the principals and example experiments for students to follow.
freeschool.my will also hold physical seminars for examination bound students; helping to prepare them for the upcoming assessments. These free seminars will be broadcast through a livestream for students unable to attend the event.
School examinations are not the only thing on the minds of the people behind freeschool.my. Chief operating officer Jennifer Low explained that the site is currently in the planning stages for videos concerning soft skills that do not receive time in classrooms. These will cover topics like financial literacy, project management, job applications, and public speaking.
There’s no definite timeline for this additional content, but Low says that it should begin appearing by the end of the first quarter of 2018.
freeschool.my is currently largely focused on the SPM, with additional content for PT3 and UPSR examinations being rolled out gradually. The non-profit is also looking for ways to get its content into rural areas where internet and technology penetration isn’t as high as in urban areas.
Students and teachers are both welcomed to sign up for an account on freeschool.my from today.
