KUALA LUMPUR – About 25%, or 37,644, of the laptops under the Cerdik initiative promised to B40 students have yet to be distributed, said the education minister.
In a written parliamentary reply, Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin said Yayaysan Hasanah has received 16,577 laptops that will be distributed soon.
He said the remaining 21,067 will be handed out as soon as they are received by the foundation.
Of the total 150,000 laptops, 74.9% (112,356) had been distributed as of September 20.
These devices are allocated to students via 910 schools nationwide, and the initiative was approved under Budget 2021.
The government was previously lambasted over the slow distribution, with students having undergone online learning on and off since the Covid-19 pandemic erupted early last year.
Yayasan Hasanah is the corporate social responsibility arm of government sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd.
During the Budget tabling on November 6 last year, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz announced a RM150 million fund to buy 150,000 laptops for students at 500 schools nationwide.
The money was pooled together by government-linked companies and related investment firms that contribute to the Cerdik Fund.
In late January, Tengku Zafrul said the laptops’ distribution to eligible students, who come from households with a monthly income of below RM4,850, would take place in February. – The Vibes, September 24, 2021
