Partnership responds to Sarawak’s specialist teacher gap, with state government calling on Amdox to establish local R&D operations in Sibu
Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia — 4 September 2026 — Amdox Prospera Sdn Bhd and the University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) today signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding at the UTS Senate Room in Sibu, establishing a framework for joint research, academic collaboration, and the development of digital education infrastructure suited to Sarawak’s conditions.
The signing was officiated by Yang Berhormat Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee, Sarawak’s Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development and Chairman of the UTS Board of Directors, in the presence of UTS Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. Mohammad Shahril bin Osman. Representing Amdox were Group CEO Zhang Liang and Amdox Prospera Sdn Bhd Director Adam Ang Tong Han.
Specialist teachers, remote delivery, and a structural problem
Speaking at the ceremony, YB Datuk Dr Annuar outlined the structural education challenge that the partnership is positioned to address. While Sarawak has reached approximately 98 percent of its required teacher headcount, the real gap lies in specialist subject coverage. Across the state’s roughly 1,200 primary schools and 200 secondary schools, many institutions lack qualified teachers in Mathematics, Science and English — forcing teachers trained in other subjects to cover those classes.
“The issue is not only the number of teachers. It is the number of option teachers,” he said. Some schools take up to eight hours to reach by road; others are accessible only by river. Approximately half of Sarawak’s schools have fewer than 10 students enrolled, with some classes down to a single student.
YB Datuk Dr Annuar indicated that digital education offers a practical path forward: specialist teachers delivering lessons remotely, with staff physically present at the school acting as supervisors. He cited a model observed at an Australian university that enables students to access lectures from academics at Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge without leaving campus — a model he expressed an ambition to replicate at UTS.
A call for local R&D, not just technology transfer
Beyond product deployment, YB Datuk Dr Annuar issued a direct call for Amdox to establish industrial operations and research and development activity in Sibu. He indicated that bringing R&D to Sarawak — rather than maintaining it offshore — would allow the company and the university to co-develop technology solutions shaped by local conditions, while simultaneously creating talent development opportunities for UTS students.
“I am more interested in you opening industry operations and R&D here, not in China. We will solve the problem locally, so it is better that R&D is done in Sarawak to address the needs here,” he said. “With R&D here, it will also give students better opportunities in terms of talent development.”
Amdox Group CEO Zhang Liang:
“Sarawak’s education landscape has specific constraints that generic solutions are not designed for — distributed schools, difficult terrain, enrollment as low as a single student. The deputy minister is right that the answer is not just connecting schools to the internet. It is building the infrastructure and the expertise so that quality instruction can actually be delivered and sustained at the local level. The UTS partnership is our commitment to developing that capability here in Sarawak, not from the outside.”
Amdox Prospera Director Adam Ang Tong Han:
“Technology will never replace the important role of teachers and lecturers — but it can be a valuable partner in making learning more inclusive and more far-reaching. Through this partnership with UTS, we aim to develop solutions that are more relevant to the actual needs of education today, informed by the experience and perspectives that a university like UTS brings.”
Scope of the MOU
Under the agreement, Amdox Prospera and UTS will collaborate on joint research and innovation projects, development and co-delivery of professional and academic training programs, exchange of technical knowledge between industry practitioners and academic staff, and ongoing faculty development workshops. The MOU is valid for an initial period of three years from the date of signing, with renewal provisions by mutual agreement.
Also present at the signing were UTS School of Postgraduate Studies Dean Prof. Mohd Zainal Munshid Harun and members of both delegations.
About Amdox
Amdox is a Singapore-headquartered B2B technology company specializing in AI-ready infrastructure for education and corporate collaboration environments. With R&D operations in South Korea, a regional hub in Malaysia, and manufacturing in China, Amdox serves institutional and enterprise clients across Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Western markets. Its product ecosystem spans interactive display systems, device management platforms, and learning management solutions designed for modern learning and collaboration spaces.
About University of Technology Sarawak (UTS)
The University of Technology Sarawak is wholly owned by the Sarawak State Government through Yayasan Sarawak and established under the Private Higher Educational Institutions Act 1996 (Registration No. DU056(Q)). Located at No. 1, Jalan Universiti, 96000 Sibu, Sarawak, and managed by Edusar Resources Sdn Bhd, UTS serves over 5,000 students across programs in engineering and technology, computing, built environment, and business management. The university is a primary beneficiary of Sarawak’s Free Tertiary Education Scheme, launched in 2026.
