12,000 Students Receive Online Educational Relief From Yayasan PETRONAS
Author: Seri Haidah Jaapar
Editor: Nadia Nurshazira Mohd Sharani
Saw Yu Shen, Yayasan PETRONAS’ Head of Operations (Education), handing over 353 devices on behalf of Yayasan PETRONAS to Siti Nurmala Md Nawi, the computer technician for the Petaling Perdana District Education Office, at Pusat Kegiatan Guru Puchong, to students in the district.
KUALA LUMPUR, 4 June– Yayasan PETRONAS is distributing RM30 million worth of digital devices with data connectivity to 12,000 students nationwide under the CERDIK initiative enabling them to have better access to online learning as the education landscape in Malaysia shifts to one of hybrid teaching and learning.
CERDIK is a GLC-driven Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) pilot initiative announced in the Budget 2021 to provide digital access to education via the accessibility of devices and data connectivity, in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MoE), the Ministry of Finance (MoF), and Yayasan Hasanah, as well as other Government-Linked Companies (GLC) and Government-Linked Investment Company (GLIC) partners, Yayasan PETRONAS prioritised schools with a majority of students from B40 households.
“Through CERDIK, we want to provide equitable access to quality education for students as it is the first step to close the digital gap towards enriching their educational experiences and lives,” said Yayasan PETRONAS Chief Executive Officer, Nelly Francis Shariah.
“With these devices and Internet service, we hope more students, especially those from underprivileged and rural communities can better participate in online lessons.”
The devices supplied to 81 schools in 69 districts, from 17 May until mid-June as part of Yayasan PETRONAS’ commitment to CERDIK, are designed to support the students’ learning requirements for three academic years, and are fitted with data services, maintenance, warranty and technical support to enable continuous learning in the new norm and provide education access to the most marginalised school children.
“During these difficult times, we must help ensure that no one gets left behind in the pursuit of education,” Nelly added, recognising that many families are facing financial pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
According to a survey of 900,000 students conducted by MoE last year, 37 percent indicated that they did not have appropriate devices at home to participate in online lessons last year.
“We thank Yayasan PETRONAS for their support of CERDIK, one of the most comprehensive pilot initiatives on digital learning in public schools nationwide. Despite logistics issues due to the movement restrictions around the world, we are still on track to deliver the devices based on the stipulated timelines,” said Shahira Ahmed Bazari, Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah.
The contribution to CERDIK complements Yayasan PETRONAS’ various education outreach initiatives benefiting students and teachers. These include the recent “Back to School” programme in March 2021, where school supplies and personal hygiene kits were distributed to 21,000 students from underprivileged families nationwide.
Information is cited from the official website of Yayasan PETRONAS and BERNAMA.
