The KPM AI guidelines for teachers are set out in Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas KPM Bil. 2 Tahun 2026, which puts the Ministry of Education’s Panduan Literasi Kecerdasan Buatan (AI) into force across all KPM institutions. Dr Muhamad Hariz Muhamad Adnan (drhariz.com), HRD Corp certified AI trainer and Senior Lecturer at UPSI, explains what the circular asks of teachers: use AI strategically in teaching and learning, keep it as a tool rather than a replacement for the teacher, and guide pupils to use it with integrity.
This guide summarises the circular in plain English, using only what the official document on moe.gov.my states, and then turns it into practical classroom and training steps. It is written for teachers, school leaders and the officers who support them.
What is the KPM professional circular on AI?
A Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas (SPI) is a professional circular issued by the Director-General of Education to all heads of divisions and state education directors. SPI KPM Bil. 2 Tahun 2026 is titled Panduan Literasi Kecerdasan Buatan (AI) Kementerian Pendidikan, and its stated purpose is to inform schools and officers of the implementation of the Ministry’s AI Literacy Guide. It is published, together with the full guidebook, on the official page moe.gov.my/surat-pekeliling-ikhtisas-kpm-ai.
Key facts from the circular itself:
- Approval: the Ministry’s Professional Meeting (Mesyuarat Profesional KPM, MPKPM) Bil. 2 Tahun 2026, held on 26 February 2026, approved the guide’s implementation across the whole Ministry.
- Effective date: the circular takes effect immediately (berkuat kuasa serta-merta) from its date of issue.
- Scope: it applies to all educational institutions under KPM. Private institutions registered under KPM are encouraged to refer to it at their own level.
- Accountability: heads of departments must ensure the circular is implemented by all responsible officers in KPM divisions, state education departments (JPN), district education offices (PPD) and the institutions under them.
How the circular links to the National Education Plan
The circular states that the guide is designed in line with the aspirations of the Rancangan Pendidikan Malaysia 2026 to 2035 (the national education plan) and the Dasar Pendidikan Digital (Digital Education Policy). Its aim is to develop a generation that is digitally literate, AI-literate, critical and innovative, and that practises responsible digital citizenship. In other words, AI literacy is now framed as part of national education policy, not as an optional extra for enthusiastic teachers.
The four domains of the KPM AI Literacy Framework
According to the circular, the guide is based on the Kerangka Literasi AI KPM (KPM AI Literacy Framework), which covers four domains:
| Domain (as named in the circular) | What it means for a teacher in practice |
|---|---|
| Tadbir Urus AI (AI governance) | Know your school’s rules on which AI tools may be used, by whom and for what. |
| Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran, PdP (teaching and learning) | Plan where AI genuinely improves a lesson, and where it should not be used. |
| Pembelajaran Sepanjang Hayat, PSH (lifelong learning) | Keep building your own AI skills as tools change. |
| Etika AI (AI ethics) | Protect pupil data, check outputs for errors and bias, and model honest use. |
The right-hand column is our practical reading for classroom use; the domain names are the circular’s own.
What the circular expects from each group
The circular describes implementation as a collective responsibility and assigns a role to each stakeholder:
- Institution leaders: the main drivers of transformation, who build the culture and direction of digital education, ensure compliance with the guide and support capacity building.
- Educators: facilitators and mentors who integrate AI strategically in teaching and learning, while making sure AI remains a supporting tool and not a replacement for the teacher’s professional role.
- Pupils: active users with integrity and ethics, who use AI to strengthen creativity and innovation in problem solving without compromising honesty and academic integrity.
- Parents and communities: strategic partners who help monitor ethical and safe AI use outside school hours and protect pupils’ personal data.
- Education officers (KPM divisions, JPN and PPD): the main reference point for policy coordination and for pedagogical and technical support across the country.
The circular also notes that AI literacy is supported by collaboration with industry, higher education institutions and national AI agencies.
What this means in the classroom: practical steps
The circular sets roles and principles rather than a lesson-by-lesson procedure. For the detailed guidance, teachers should read the full Buku Panduan Literasi Kecerdasan Buatan (AI) linked on the same moe.gov.my page. In the meantime, these steps follow directly from the roles above:
1. Use AI where it strengthens the lesson, not where it replaces you
Good uses include drafting differentiated practice questions, generating examples in Bahasa Melayu and English, or preparing discussion prompts. The judgement about what pupils learn, and the feedback they receive, stays with the teacher. Our DELIMa-based classroom guide shows lesson-level workflows inside the platform KPM teachers already use.
2. Make academic integrity explicit
Because the circular expects pupils to use AI without compromising honesty, tell pupils when AI is allowed, when it is not, and how to declare it. Design some tasks around process (drafts, oral explanation, reflection) so that understanding is visible. A ready template is in our practical AI policy framework for classrooms.
3. Protect pupil data
Never paste names, IC numbers, results or other identifiable pupil information into public AI tools. Use the accounts and tools your school or KPM has approved, and explain to parents why this matters, since the circular names them as partners in protecting personal data.
4. Teach pupils to question AI output
AI literacy includes knowing that AI can be wrong or biased. Build short checking routines into lessons: compare an AI answer with the textbook, find the error, or explain why an output is incomplete.
5. Plan your own professional development
The lifelong learning domain applies to teachers too. A structured pathway is described in AI professional development for educators in Malaysia.
Training implications for schools and districts
Since school leaders are expected to support capacity building, many schools will want structured AI literacy training mapped to the four domains rather than one-off tool demonstrations. A useful school-based programme usually covers: the circular and the school’s own rules (governance), lesson design with AI (PdP), ethics, data protection and integrity (ethics), and a plan for continued practice (lifelong learning).
Dr Hariz, a Doctor in Artificial Intelligence at the Faculty of Computing and Meta-Technology, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), delivers this kind of AI literacy training for teachers, school leaders and education officers in Bahasa Melayu, English or bilingually. See the AI for Education Malaysia programmes for formats, or contact Dr Hariz to discuss a workshop for your school, PPD or JPN.
Frequently asked questions
They are the Ministry of Education’s Panduan Literasi Kecerdasan Buatan (AI), put into force by Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas KPM Bil. 2 Tahun 2026. The guide is based on the KPM AI Literacy Framework, which covers AI governance, teaching and learning, lifelong learning and AI ethics.
The circular states that it takes effect immediately from its date of issue. Its implementation was approved by the KPM Professional Meeting Bil. 2 Tahun 2026 on 26 February 2026.
It applies to all educational institutions under KPM. Private institutions registered under KPM are encouraged, rather than required, to refer to it at their own level.
The circular states that educators should integrate AI strategically while ensuring AI is a supporting tool and not a replacement for the teacher’s professional role. Teachers can use AI to assist, but professional judgement and responsibility stay with the teacher.
Both the circular and the full AI Literacy guidebook can be downloaded from the official page moe.gov.my/surat-pekeliling-ikhtisas-kpm-ai.
