CERDIK, a long-term initiative aimed at providing digital access to education for students has revealed that the devices supply chain is enough to distribute to a target of 50,000 students by the end of May.
The funding for this pilot project has been generated solely from GLC/GLICs and corporate donors, each with its due governance processes.
Joining hands with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Education (MOE), CERDIK aims to close the digital learning gap for both primary and secondary students as it is made clear now the need for electronic devices is indispensable.
Currently, 13,000 devices have been distributed by Government Linked Companies/Government Linked Investment Companies (GLC/GLICs) to various State Education Departments, with more than 1,000 students have already received their devices.
All devices are said to be certified as up-to-date with adequate capacity and software upgrades which will be able to handle a student’s learning capacity for at least three years of their academic journey and minimise disruptions.
“This pilot project is a great enabler for digital learning, which must be a core component of our children’s education if we were to take advantage of the economic benefits afforded by the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” Minister of Finance, Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said.
Among the corporate donor and its group of companies who have contributed to the CERDIK pilot programme are Khazanah Nasional Berhad (KNB), Yayasan PETRONAS (YP), Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Lembaga Tabung Haji.
To date, the initiative has seen a positive response from recipients. Roslaini Rustam was grateful that her daughter, who is a student at Sekolah Kebangsaan Rantau Panjang, received a device.
“When teachers were having online classes during the pandemic, we had a problem as there were not enough gadgets to be shared between five siblings. I hope my children will use the device to improve themselves,” she said.
