Dr Noraini posing with the students who received their tablets on Tuesday.
KOTA KINABALU (Sept 13): A total of 21,633 applications for the computer tablet assistance have been received under the first and second phases until now.
Under the first phase, only 3,748 out of 5,565 applications were approved, and a further 1,817 applications under the same phase are still undergoing screening, said Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad.
The endeavor is the initiative of the “PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia” programme.
“To support efforts to empower the agenda of education digitalisation, the government has introduced a new initiative which is the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia initiative,” she said.
Dr Noraini explained that the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia initiative under the 2022 budget is led by the Ministry of Malaysia Communications and Multimedia (K-KOMM) with the cooperation from the Finance Ministry (MOF) and Higher Education Ministry (KPT).
“This initiative is aimed at helping the learning process of students at higher learning institutes who are under the B40 group,” she said.
She added that the application to get the tablet has been opened since last April and the review will be made beginning 29 August 2022.
“The approval for the giving of the tablet will be done in stages and the distribution will be conducted within three months,” she said.
“Hence, I urge all students of higher learning institutes under the B40 group who have not applied to do it immediately as the second phase is still open until 30 September 2022.
“This is the commitment of the Keluarga Malaysia government in ensuring students are not left behind, especially those under the B40 group and also as an effort to create the Keluarga Malaysia digital community and reduce the digital gap between all groups in Malaysia,” she said.
A total of 90 higher learning institute students received the tablet on Tuesday.
Also launched on Tuesday is the 2022 State-level Keluarga Kembara Simpan SSPN programme, said the minister.
She explained that the Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) as the leading national higher education fund, has created saving instruments through Simpan SSPN as the best platform for parents to make financial plans for higher education purposes.
“Simpan SSPN provides various privileges for the benefit of Keluarga Malaysia such as tax assessment relief of income of up to RM8,000 per year, takaful protection on depositors, competitive dividends, matching grants of up to RM10,000 for each eligible family, shariah-compliant and guaranteed by the government,” Dr Noraini said.
The Kembara Keluarga Simpan SSPN programme is one of PTPTN’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes aimed at helping students who are poor in the aspect of education as well as encourage early savings for the children’s higher education and raise awareness on the importance of savings to guarantee the future of Keluarga Malaysia, she said.
She added that this programme started in Terengganu on September 8 and Sabah is the second state they visited.
“Other states will follow after this,” she said.
The programme shall involve the PTPTN tithe contribution to 17,200 students who are poor at 172 selected places at 11 states.
The contribution is given in the form of SSPN Prime savings involving an allocation of RM1.72 million.
Meanwhile, the Kembara Keluarga Simpan SSPN programme for the year 2022 in Sabah shall involve 25 places with a contribution of RM250,000 and every place will be allocated RM10,000, she said.
“A total of 100 students who are poor at every place will receive the contribution in the form of Simpan SSPN Prime savings worth RM100 each,” Dr Noraini said.