Educators from around the world who took part in the three-day Smart School International Conference, which ended yesterday, gave the thumbs up to Malaysia’s efforts in inculcating information and communications technology in schools.

They also appreciated the opportunity to mingle, discuss and share a range of experiences at the conference, a first of its kind organized to get teachers, educators and information technology players to talk about ways to make learning fun and making their schools “smart”.

Rosalie Bongon, a teacher from the Philippines, said she had learned a lot from the conference and was impressed with the smart school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Bintang Utara, that she visited on Tuesday.

“Even our private schools did not have what they had. If kids can be around those computers every day, they could learn so much.

“I have been inspired, and I think all of us are inspired to integrate what we have learned.”

The countries which took part ranged from IT heavyweights like Singapore and Australia to those eager to catch up such as Indonesia and South Africa.

Participants visited school, spoke to students, had a session with the private sector and shared a multitude of experiences – from how to inspire teachers to the problem of laptop batteries.

But all found that they had common problems and challenges when it came to making their schools truly smart, said Multimedia Development Corporation senior manager Dr Norrizan Razali, a participant and speaker at the conference.