Minister: Tablets for B40 varsity students are from 'established brands'

Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa has assured that the tablets his ministry will give to B40 varsity students are not low-quality items.

This is after teasers he posted earlier this week raised concerns that the government was procuring off-brand devices for the PerantiSiswa programme.

“These devices are not low quality and will be procured from brands that are established in the market,” Annuar (above) was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian today.

Earlier on Monday, Annuar had shared photos of the tablets (below) - which appeared to be devices from unestablished brands.

This triggered calls for transparency over the procurement, and questions on why the government did not reach out to established brands for the programme.

Responding to the criticism on Tuesday, Annuar said the tablets he photographed were just for “illustrative purposes” and that the procurement process was still underway.

The government has a poor track record when it comes to procuring or distributing tech devices to low-income households.

Last year, a subsidised phone provided under the Jaringan Prihatin programme caught fire while a primary three student was using it for an online class.

Meanwhile, Annuar said some 400,000 students in public higher education will benefit from the PerantiSiswa programme.

Applications for the tablets will open on April 15.

Annuar estimated that the devices can be delivered to students starting mid-June.

He said delivery will be done in two stages, with 60 percent delivered during the first stage.

The second stage is for appeals, he said, assuring that the remaining 40 percent will be distributed within 60 days of the first stage. - Mkini