KUALA LUMPUR: The Communications and Multimedia Ministry will expedite the distribution of devices under the Keluarga Malaysia Student Device programme to 279,188 applicants who have been approved by the end of October.
Its minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said efforts need to be sped up as to date only 8.3% or 23,101 devices had been distributed to eligible students.
"Distribution has only reached 8.3% and the figure is still low. I came to monitor the warehouse to ensure the stock of 350,000 devices have arrived and can confirm they are there.
"From the total of 350,000 devices, 100,000 sets are at the Samsung warehouse, 138,500 sets here (J&T Distribution Solution Sdn Bhd) and the others were sent to the central zone (15,700), northern zone (20,000), eastern zone (18,600), southern zone (15,000) and Sabah as well as as Sarawak (42,200)," he said after visiting the device warehouse at J&T Distribution Solution Sdn Bhd, here on Monday (Oct 17).
Elaborating further, Annuar said the distribution would take time as the applications are from all over the country and not just campuses and schools alone.
To ensure the distribution is quickly implemented, Annuar said delivery would be made to all zones simultaneously, which would require more personnel to assist.
"In the central zone, which involves a huge number, we may have to centralise distribution where students can come to collect, which will be faster and easier.
"I have instructed the delivery schedule be handed to me tomorrow and we will look at the distribution of applicants nationwide and decide how to distribute to them this month itself.
"Even though I had set the distribution target by the end of the November, those for the approved 279,188 can be distributed this month while appeal cases and applications still being processed will be carried over to next month," he said.
To date, a total of 474,311 applications for the Keluarga Malaysia Student Device have been received involving 95,882 in the first phase and 378,429 in the second phase. – Bernama
