By Ida Nadirah Ibrahim
SHAH ALAM, Feb 8 — The whereabouts of the 150,000 laptops promised by the Federal government announced in its 2021 Budget is once again being questioned.
PKR strategic communications director Fahmi Fadzil had again raised the matter and had sought clarification from the Education and Finance Ministries on when the 150,000 will be distributed to the students as the home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) have been running for 14 days.
“On January 25, the media reported that 150,000 will be distributed by Yayasan Hasanah beginning February.
“Today we have entered the second week of February. School started on January 20 and it has been 14 days since Form 5 students attended physical classes or PdPR for others.
“And yet, we have yet to know when the 150,000 laptops will actually be distributed? Which of the 500 out of the 10,220 schools are selected? What will happen in the event that the 150,000 laptops fail to be handed over?” asks Fahmi on a Facebook post today.
The Lembah Pantai MP said many parents are burdened over the PdPR programme implemented during the movement control order (MCO) period, as many have lost their source of income and as for big families, they would have to share devices among their children.
“If they have a lot of children, no device or internet access, then this lost generation will lose out on a bright future ahead.
“The Education Ministry had remained silent. The ministry, along with the Finance Ministry, must be accountable on this matter,” the post read.
On January 21, Fahmi had raised the issue on social media and demanded that Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz keep his word to hand over 150,000 laptops to students in 500 schools nationwide.
In response, Tengku Zafrul had stated that the roll-out of the laptops had been expedited to February.
On November 6 last year, the finance minister had during the tabling of the 2021 Budget announced a RM150 million fund to purchase the 150,000 laptops.
