Malaysia's Digital Ministry Launches Global Learning Passport, Offering 100,000 People Free Coursera AI Courses

Malaysia's Digital Ministry launched the government-funded Global Learning Passport through the Portal Rakyat Digital platform under MyDIGITAL Corporation, allowing 100,000 Malaysians with MyDigital ID to take Coursera AI-related courses for free. The three-month passport covers more than 16,000 courses, hands-on guided projects and professional certificate programs in AI, technology, data science, business and digital literacy. Places have opened in phases since September 16, and in the first three weeks 12,900 learners enrolled in 43,000 courses.

This is a government-funded AI literacy program that uses a national digital identity as the entry point and targets the public at scale, directly changing how AI education resources are accessed and how widely they reach in Malaysia, and offering a reference model for other countries procuring international courses through public platforms. Its effects are concentrated in two areas: 100,000 free places over three months lower the cost of AI learning to zero and rapidly expand participation; and the link between courses and professional certificates may shape participants' skills certification path into the digital economy. It should be noted that the 12,900 learners and 43,000 course enrollments in the first three weeks are participation figures; the original text provides no completion rates, learning outcomes or employment results, so related conclusions cannot yet be verified. 100,000 Malaysians with MyDigital ID can access three months of Coursera AI and digital skills courses at no cost, significantly widening access to AI learning resources. The courses include professional certificates, which may shape participants' skills certification and job-readiness path into the digital economy.