IPOH – The Perak administration has not received any report on smartphones given for free under a government initiative catching fire, said Datuk Saarani Mohamad, but there are requests from students and families for the number of devices to be increased.
The menteri besar said the distribution of smartphones by the YTL Foundation to B40 households under the Tuisyen Cikgu Saarani (TCS) programme, aimed at facilitating home-based learning, is ongoing.
“I don’t know where the smartphone caught fire or exploded, but as for those we have distributed to students, there have been no such reports.
“In fact, demand for these smartphones is increasing. I don’t have the numbers, but it (demand) is increasing,” he told a virtual press conference today.
Apa dah jadi ni?? Lagi sekali telefon pelajar meletup.
— Syed Saddiq (@SyedSaddiq) July 6, 2021
Dah banyak insiden telefon yang kerajaan edarkan ni meletup, tapi masih tidak ada apa-apa tindakan berat dibuat??
Paling tidak, tarik semula telefon ni dan ganti yang lebih berkualiti!
Kenapa lembap sangat nak bertindak?? pic.twitter.com/3Z3xi3dRHy
It was reported that 20,000 phones will be given to poor students under the TCS initiative, and that as of June 16, the state government had received 13,000 units for distribution via district education offices.
Yesterday, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman shared on Twitter a screenshot from a netizen claiming that a smartphone given by the government to a student had caught fire, and questioned why the phones have not been recalled. – Bernama, July 7, 2021
