The 1990s were a period of considerable economic and educational change in Malaysia.

The decade
began with Vision 2020, the policy introduced by the Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir bin
Mohamad, and was followed in 1996 by the establishment of the Multimedia Super Corridor and the
privatisation of tertiary education. All these initiatives were interconnected. The Malaysian
educational sector appears to have been revolutionised during the decade beginning in 1996. During
that time, the development and implementation of e-learning have become a requirement for
academic institution. Electronic learning or e-learning is a term used to describe the action of
acquiring knowledge through computer network based environments.

Education is one of the areas where use of electronic technology provides tangible benefits.
Use of technology in and for education is now seen worldwide both as a necessity and an
opportunity (UNESCO, 2009). It plays a great role in the three fundamental aspects of education
policy that is access, quality and cost.

E-learning is a promising tool for expanding and widening access to education especially at
advanced levels (Kurt & Larchin, 2005). It allows people to participate in education by increasing
flexibility of participation compared to traditional face to face method. It allows working students
and adults, people living in remote areas, non-mobile students and even foreign students to
participate easily in education (Kurt & Larchin, 2005). In addition; online learning relaxes the
constraints of face to face learning such as, size of rooms and student/teacher ratios.

Furthermore, online resources offers teachers access to a vast and diverse collection of
materials enabling them to design curricula that best meet the needs of their students. Commission
of European Communities (CEC, 2008) observes that ICT is fostering a growing internationalization of
higher education, where networking is enabling shared courses. Studies have indicated that use
electronic technology in schools has positive impact on student’s performance. British Educational
Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) survey showed that, schools with high level of e-
maturity demonstrate a more rapid increase in performance scores than those with low levels
(BECTA, 2007). The report further indicates that the digital generation is learning more by using ICT
in everyday life. Teachers need to be part of this and educational institutions need to take it fully on
board.

Teachers in the 21st century are faced with the challenge of having to update their
knowledge to make appropriate use of ICT either as a tool to be used in the classroom or as a
moderator of E-learning. In order to function in the new world economy , students and teachers
have to learn to navigate large amounts of information, analyze and make decisions in order to
master new knowledge and accomplish complex tasks collaboratively (Anouk, Bart & Nyaga, 2005).

Indeed teachers who are key players in the education system need to have knowledge and
skills in the utilization of ICT and E-learning as mode of education delivery. This study sought to
establish how primary school in Johor Bahru are prepared to benefit from the utilization of E-
learning and in preparing teachers who are competent to use technology to support learning.