KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka must intensify its digitalisation of knowledge resources to maintain relevance in the digital age according to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The government acknowledges DBP’s current digital initiatives including the JendelaDBP platform and online dictionaries through the Malay Reference and Literature Centre.
He emphasised that these efforts require further expansion through digital technology, artificial intelligence and big data to broaden knowledge access.
Ahmad Zahid also recommended collaboration with universities and research centres both within the Islamic world and Western nations to amplify Malaysia’s voice on the global intellectual stage.
He made these remarks during the launch of DBP’s latest encyclopaedias and the appointment ceremony for official translators and editors.
The deputy prime minister officially launched six new encyclopaedias covering Malay Literature, Marine Fish, Infectious Diseases, Freshwater Fish, Insects and Nuclear Science.
He urged the integration of these encyclopaedias into national education systems as reference materials for schools, universities and training institutions.
Ahmad Zahid stressed that these works should not remain forgotten on shelves but must become vital components of education and reading culture.
He pledged to ensure the encyclopaedias’ availability at all MARA Junior Science Colleges and called on the Education Ministry to implement this nationwide.
The deputy prime minister described encyclopaedias as a nation’s intellectual infrastructure that organises verified facts and protects minds from misinformation.
He praised them as roadmaps of knowledge that nurture critical, innovative and wise thinking among the population. – Bernama