'Peranti Siswa' tablet distribution expected to begin next month, says Annuar
KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — The Peranti Siswa Keluarga Malaysia (Keluarga Malaysia Student Device) programme will deliver its first batch of devices to students next month, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
He said that the Ministry of Finance (MoF) had to conduct fresh bidding, which delayed the initial roll-out, but he insisted that the process would be done by next week.
“There are 100,000 applications being processed now and the first phase of the programme will happen next month. The exact date for handover to students is being discussed with the universities,” he told a press conference in Parliament today.
Annuar said that some quarters had played up the issue by saying that the programme had failed when it was going ahead.
He added that applications will also be opened to B40 students from teachers’ training colleges as well as matriculation centres under the Ministry of Education, as opposed to only public and private universities and college students as announced earlier.
“The application will be open from August 1 to September 30,” he said.
In May, Annuar said the first batch of students was expected to receive their tablets in the second week of June.
He said, however, that this would depend on the delivery process of the selected bidders.
“We plan this first roll-out 30 days from the date of application, and the second roll-out is in August, which is 60 days after the application process for those who apply late and for appeal cases,” he said during the Inclusive programme on TV1 channel broadcast by RTM.
Applications for the Peranti Siswa programme were opened from April 15 under an allocation of RM450 million involving orders of 350,000 units.
