Fulfilling its target to get the program up and running by mid-April, the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (K-KOMM) together with the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) have officially launched the PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia program today.
However, the actual registration for the program will only take place starting from 8:00 AM on 15 April at the PerantiSiswa portal on K-KOMM’s website. At the launch event, the ministry has also revealed the full minimum for the tablets that will be distributed to eligible students which are as below:
- 10.1-inch display with 1280×800 resolution
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB internal storage
- 2MP Front Camera
- 5MP Rear Camera
- Built-in audio speakers
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Supports 4G LTE
- Supports dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4GHz and 5GHz
- Bluetooth 4.1 or above
- 4500mAh battery
- Pre-installed with Android 10 or above
- Must be accompanied by a USB charger, Bluetooth keyboard, and stylus.
Meanwhile, the program which will be managed by a dedicated management unit within the K-KOMM’s Infrastructure and Application Division aims to deliver the tablets to 350,000 students this year. Students can expect to receive the tablets starting from June onwards although K-KOMM has once again confirmed that they have to return the devices at the end of their studies, as per our earlier reports.
At the event, Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa noted that the procurement process is solely in the hands of MoF as K-KOMM only provides the guiding principles for the program. Nevertheless, he also guarantees that the tablets will come from reputable brands and are not white-label OEM devices.
In fact, he specifically stated that “if you don’t have four-figure money, you can’t buy it,” which is quite a huge claim. Then again, if you consider the program’s RM 450 million budget, the average cost of each tablet for 350,000 students is around RM1,285.
(Source: K-KOMM / YouTube.)
