A TECHNICAL school, knowns as Sekolah Menengah Teknik Kuala Lumpur (SMTKL) has become the first secondary school in Malaysia to establish a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) laboratory, marking a historic milestone in conjunction with its 100th anniversary celebration.
The initiative, launched by Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail—spouse of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Bandar Tun Razak—is poised to serve as a model for innovation-based learning across the country’s technical and vocational education landscape.
“This initiative will not only serve as a reference model for technical schools and vocational colleges, but it also opens the door for similar integration in national secondary schools to strengthen the TVET ecosystem from an early stage,” Bernam cited Dr Wan Azizah saying at the launch ceremony today.
“With knowledge, technology and values, Insya-Allah our students will be ready to face the challenges of the future,” she added.
The AI lab is also designed to create a pipeline of talent, engaging surrounding secondary schools as feeder institutions to identify and nurture technical aptitude from the outset.
Dr Wan Azizah also announced a pioneering collaboration between SMTKL and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) to introduce a ‘KOSEN-oriented’ learning model—applied for the first time in Malaysia at the secondary technical school level.
The KOSEN approach, inspired by Japan’s National Institute of Technology system, focuses on hands-on learning, industrial collaboration and creativity-driven problem solving.
SMTKL, the oldest technical secondary school in the country, has already earned national recognition for its digital education efforts. In July, it was awarded the Gold Prize for Best Digital Education (Secondary School category) at the 2024 Digital Utilisation & Technology Awards (DUTA). - September 28, 2025
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