KUALA LUMPUR: Tertiary students who received tablet devices under the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia (the Malaysian Family Student Device) package said the initiative has ensured they will not be left behind in their studies due to a lack of electronic devices.

       Kedah Matriculation College accounting student M. Deiviya, 19, expressed her happiness over the initiative, which she said was much anticipated.

       Prior to this, she had to share a laptop with her brother for studies as her parents could not afford to provide them with a laptop each.

       “I’m happy to get the device as it makes learning easier,” she said when contacted by Bernama.

       A similar sentiment was shared by engineering student Nur Hamieza Zaky, 24, from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam.

       She said she no longer had to worry about completing her assignments on time.

       “The device I’m using now is obsolete and needs to be charged all the time.

       “When there is no power, I have a problem. There have been several occasions when I lost my work because the laptop suddenly shut down,” she added.

       On Saturday, Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said that the applications for the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia package specifically for IPT students from B40 families will open from mid-April.

       He added that an estimated 400,000 students are expected to benefit from the initiative.

       A total of RM450mil had been allocated in Budget 2021 under the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia to provide higher education students from the B40 group with tablets.

       The package is an initiative by the government in collaboration with selected telecommunication companies to supply a tablet device to every B40 student in institutes of higher learning.