Students to receive CERDIK’s online learning devices by May

  • GLC-driven initiative distributed 13,000 devices thus far; 1,000 students received devices
  • Devices certified as being up-to-date; come with necessary tech support, warranty

Students to receive CERDIK’s online learning devices by MayTHE government through its public-private initiative CERDIK, plans to close the digital learning gap for primary and secondary schools in Malaysia by targeting to distribute devices for online learning to least 50,000 students by the end May.

The initiative, working in partnership with the Malaysian Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Education (MOE) and various government-linked companies (GLC), has to date distributed 13,000 devices via various state education departments, with some 1,000 students already having received their devices.

A balance of 100,000 devices is expected to be distributed by the end of September 2021, the government agencies said in a statement.

These devices have been certified as up-to-date with “adequate capacity for software upgrades to serve a student for at least three years of his/her academic journey through school.” Alongside appropriate quality, functionality and safety checks to prevent or minimise mishaps and learning disruptions have also been carried out.

Students to receive CERDIK’s online learning devices by May“CERDIK is a digital learning pilot, and this is timely due to the rise of digitalisation in all aspects of society today. Digital transformation is now a prerequisite for the modern age.

“As we have seen in recent times, Covid-19 has made it clear that digitalisation is indispensable. Virtual learning, for example, was vital in limiting the disruption to school lessons and sustaining the delivery of education around the world,” said Radzi Jidin, senior minister of education.

Radzi reassured parents that all CERDIK devices come with the necessary technical support and warranty to minimise interruptions to digital learning.

Finance minister Zafrul Abdul Aziz said: “Covid-19 has accelerated digital adoption en masse, with remote learning increasingly becoming the norm. CERDIK was conceptualised to bridge the socio-economic gap by facilitating digital learning for the lower income households.

“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.”

Funding for CERDIK has been generated solely from GLCs and GLICs (government linked investment companies), as well as corporate donors. These include Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Yayasan Petronas, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, the Employees Provident Fund and Lembaga Tabung Haji.

 

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