33,000 Form 5 students in Sarawak to receive free laptops

PUTRAJAYA: A total of 33,000 Form 5 students in Sarawak are expected to benefit from the distribution of free laptops, thanks to a government-initiated programme.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan said the programme was aimed at assisting the students in their preparations for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations without solely relying on text books.
He added the free handout in the East Malaysian state shall serve as a pilot project before expanding to other states in the country.
"We would like to see the effectiveness of the programme, whether with the distribution of laptops would enable them to get better results in the examination.
"If it is proven to be effective, we will expand the programme (nationwide)," he told reporters when met after a handing over of laptops ceremony to five Sarawakian students at the Prime Minister's Office here, today.
The laptops were handed over to the students by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and witnessed by Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem.
The government's initiative to distribute the free laptops was announced by Najib during a walkabout session in Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Ladong, Sarawak on April.
The laptops have been pre-installed with softwares of related subjects to assist its users in their studies for SPM.
Kamalanathan said the laptops would be distributed on loan to schools, where it would be passed down to the next batch of Form 5 students.
"The handout is expected to be completed by the end of September this year," he said.
Kamalanathan said the government had spent around RM45 million to prepare for the free laptops.
One of the receipients, Geralt Fidler Begeli from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sungai Tapang, expressed his happiness upon receiving the laptop.
"I believe that the programme would be able to assist with our subject revision as well as learning in school," he said.