Free tablet giveaway now down to 400,000, says Annuar

 

The tablet computer giveaway under ‘Peranti Siswa’ would be expanded to include students at teacher training colleges and matriculation colleges too, says Annuar Musa. (Rawpixel pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: A free tablet computer giveaway to tertiary-level students from low-income, or B40, households will be made available to about 400,000 students instead of an earlier target of 600,000, the government said today.

Communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa said his ministry lowered the number as official figures showed there were fewer students under the B40 category than earlier thought.

The government introduced the “Peranti Siswa” giveaway under Budget 2022. It aims to provide deserving students in public and private universities, including polytechnic and community and private colleges a proper tablet computer. To be eligible, they must prove their family had a household income of less than RM4,850.

Annuar said the government said the lower number of target recipients would also enable the government to provide high-end tablet devices instead of devices with lower specifications worth RM800 each.

He said the earlier 600,000 set number was merely a budgetary target set by the finance ministry in the federal budget.

“The price of the tablet computers we are offering is much higher than the RM800 ones,” he told reporters after an appreciation dinner for the media at a hotel tonight.

Annuar said the government would likely expand the programme to include students at teacher training colleges and other government-affiliated educational institutions, such as matriculation colleges.

Students interested in applying for the device can do so here: https://perantisiswa.kkmm.gov.my/ - FMT