Towards the development of NET-generation among Malaysian Youth Norizan Abdul Razak, norjef@pkrisc.cc.ukm.my Hazita Azman, hazita@ukm.my Ruzy Suliza Hasim, ruzy@ukm.my Faridah Ibrahim, fbi@pkrisc.cc.ukm.my Tg Nor Rizan Tg Mohd Maasum, tntm@pkrisc.cc.ukm.my (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia) Abstract This panel presentation will explore the ICT competency of Malaysian youth, the development of e-literacy, the impact of gender towards accessing information via new media and developing identities via Weblogs, which are crucial in the development of the future NET-generation in Malaysia. All the issues will be discussed in these 5 papers will highlight the need for development and practices at secondary and higher education and the readiness of Malaysian youth to be part of NET-generation in line with Malaysia Vision 2020. Keywords NET-generation, Secondary and higher education, e-literacy, ICT, telecenters, Weblogs, New Media, Malaysia Vision 2020 INTRODUCTION The impact of the application of ICT in Malaysian educational scene is a call for serious attention towards the ICT readiness among her citizen. Various efforts and strategies towards assisting Malaysian youth in accessing, utilizing and benefiting from the advancement of technology have been carried out by various organizations at various levels. During the panel presentation, we will explore the ICT competency of Malaysian youth, the development of e-literacy, the impact of gender towards accessing information via new media and developing identities via Weblogs, which are crucial in the development of future NET-generation in Malaysia. All the issues discussed in these 5 papers will highlight the need of development and practices at secondary and higher education and the readiness of Malaysian youth to be part of NET-generation in line with Malaysia Vision 2020. Several case studies will be presented and special highlights on Malaysian Rural youth readiness towards the applications and use of ICT will be discussed. A comparison of female and male youth in terms of accessing the ICT, the use of telecenters, and empowering Malaysian youth in using ICT will also be highlighted. Questions addressed will include:  What is the ICT competency needed to empower Malaysian youth?  What are the components of e-literacy framework for Malaysian youth?  What are the similarities and differences of ICT usage among different genders of youth in rural areas?