Where are the remaining 38,060 promised laptops to students, Teo asks

 

Former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching has again criticised the government over its slow distribution of laptops to B40 students for online learning.

Calling it a “huge disgrace”, Teo pointed out the irony that the government announced schools are about to reopen in stages in October, which is five days away.

The Kulai MP joined others in panning the government over its promise during last year’s budget to deliver 150,000 laptops to students in lower-income families by the end of September this year.

“As of Sept 18, the education minister revealed that only 111,040 laptops have been distributed so far, leaving behind 38,060 promised laptop units yet to be delivered.

“It is safe to assume that more than 38,060 students are affected by this utterly embarrassing delay as one laptop can benefit more than one student per household,” Teo said in a statement today.

Education Minister Radzi Jidin in a recent parliamentary reply revealed that from the 38,060 undelivered laptops, 15,419 of them were received from Yayasan Hasanah.

Radzi did not give an exact timeframe of the delivery, only stating that they would be distributed “shortly”.

Furthermore, Radzi said the ministry has yet to receive the remaining 23,541 laptops from the foundation.

More laptops still needed

The government mentioned in its announcement of schools reopening that a rotation system would be in place to reduce the number of students physically attending schools at the same time.

Teo said many students then will still need a suitable device when they are home for online classes and reiterated her long criticism of the government reliance on GLCs to execute the programme.

The government currently relies on Yayasan Hasanah, a sister entity of Khazanah Nasional Bhd to provide laptops, tablets and data connectivity to students from lower-income families under the Cerdik initiative.

“In my response to the budget speech last year, I had already stated and have repeatedly mentioned since then that 150,000 units will not be sufficient to address the digital gap, as well as to cater to the needs of poor children and families with more than two children in the B40 category.

“Providing adequate devices must be a government-funded effort and initiative, not one that solely relies on GLCs’ contributions,” she said.

Teo continued hammering the government on its slow response to the matter and questioned whether the government really prioritise education in the country.

“What makes this situation an absolute mockery of good governance is we have not received any explanation from either the prime minister, the Finance Ministry or Yayasan Hasanah.

“Why is procuring laptops taking way too long? What are the causes and what are the steps taken to mitigate the delay? There’s no explanation and zero accountability.

“This indicates and reflects how the government of the day prioritises education, and to me, it looks as if education and the tools to education have always taken a back seat and have never been an integral part of managing this pandemic and moving forward to create a resilient society.

“It is all just talk with very little action,” Teo said.

The laptop issue has received plenty of controversies, not just on its slow delivery but also the revelation that it was a loan programme. - Mkini