Perak to hand out 20,000 smartphones to B40 homes

LENGGONG: The state government will hand out 20,000 smartphones to heads of B40 (low income) households in Perak as early as next month to complement the “Tuisyen Cikgu Saarani” (TCS) programme.

Mentri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad said this was aimed at helping families whose children need to use mobile applications for online learning.

Discussions between the state and a foundation on the provision of smartphones had been held for the past three weeks and was expected to be finalised next week.

“TCS is just the name of the programme; we will create a separate motivation programme for both parents and students and a holiday camp for students. It’s just an idea; the final decision depends on our brainstorming session, ” he said.

Although face-to-face school sessions will begin next month, the state will still go ahead to provide the devices for long-term use.

Launched on Feb 3 for students from B40 families, TCS includes special assistance such as extra tuition classes, food aid, exam revision seminars and interactive videobased teaching materials. — Bernama