Give students coupons to buy devices for online learning, Umno urges govt

Give students coupons to buy devices for online learning, Umno urges govt

PETALING JAYA: Umno has urged the government to allocate RM3 billion in the form of coupons for parents to purchase devices to facilitate their children’s studies via teaching and learning at home (PdPR).

Its information chief Shahril Hamdan said it was important to address the issue of access to suitable devices and internet connectivity for PdPR, given that it was now a major topic of discussion among the community.

He noted that several people had already taken steps to ease the burden on students’ shoulders, citing celebrity preacher Edit Lew, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as examples.

Shahril called on Putrajaya to play its part in helping the 4.8 million primary and secondary school students, most of whom belong to the B40 or M40 groups.

“The government can spend by providing subsidised coupons solely for the purchase of laptops. For example, RM1,000 for the B40 and RM500 for the M40. The total expenditure would add up to RM3 billion.

“That’s less than 1% of the 2021 Budget. Both physical coupons and e-wallets could be considered,” he said in a statement.

He said the requirements to apply for such coupons must not be too strict or complicated, because students or parents should be given the freedom to buy any device they wanted, as long as it was sufficient for PdPR.

Shahril added that the programme would enable the public to spend more and contribute to the economy.

“The key to addressing this PdPR issue is in the hands of the government. It is impossible for NGOs, political parties or an individual to provide laptops for everyone in need.”

Published at Tue, 26 Jan 2021 08:51:35 +0000