MARANG, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- An English teacher at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Bukit Sawa here has turned his passion for remote-controlled aircraft into a hands-on learning project, successfully guiding 35 students to build their own unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Badrul Hisyam Zakaria said that under the TI-BSAS UAV In School programme, which began in 2023 with support and sponsorship from several companies, particularly Terengganu Incorporated Sdn Bhd (Terengganu Inc), he and two other teachers have guided their students in developing more than five UAVs, each costing between RM6,000 and RM10,000.
The TI-BSAS UAV In School programme coordinator said the UAVs were built to meet full aircraft specifications and equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to track targets.
“We use the same techniques and materials as those used in the industry to develop the UAVs, but on a smaller scale.
“We are currently developing UAVs equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can visually detect targets, compared with our existing UAVs, which use programmed GPS for target detection,” he told reporters at the TI-BSAS Tech Talent 2026 Programme at SMK Bukit Sawa here today.
Badrul Hisyam said the efforts by the school, in collaboration with the Terengganu State Education Department and several companies, including Terengganu Inc, to make the programme a success had paid off when SMK Bukit Sawa emerged as champion of the UAV Avionics Integration Challenge (Secondary Schools) at the MyAERO Challenge 2026 at MAEPS, Serdang, Selangor, last June.
He said the achievement was even more meaningful as two former SMK Bukit Sawa students who participated in the programme are now pursuing aircraft engineering at Universiti Kuala Lumpur, while three others are studying science at the matriculation level.
“The TI-BSAS UAV In School programme is designed to deliver long-term results. We started it for Form One to Form Four students and will monitor their development, not only at school but also as they pursue aviation as a career. InsyaAllah, in three or four years, we will see our first aircraft engineer,” he said.
He said that apart from creating job opportunities for students in the aviation sector, the TI-BSAS UAV In School programme also aimed to produce more local industry players capable of developing their own UAV technology without relying on foreign countries.
Meanwhile, Terengganu Inc president and group chief executive officer Datuk Burhanuddin Hilmi Mohamed said the company had contributed a total of RM75,000 to support the school’s aeronautics and UAV development programme since 2023.
He said the contribution, made through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund, was aimed at helping students in Terengganu, especially those from the B40 group, acquire technological skills in high-demand fields and gain early exposure to the aviation industry.
“We channelled RM45,000 at the initial stage of the programme in 2023, and in 2026, we are providing another RM30,000 to support ongoing activities and further development. Seeing the students develop and operate their own UAVs shows that this investment has made a positive impact,” he said.
--BERNAMA