BAC Education aims to end digital poverty

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 (Bernama) -- As schools in Malaysia took their teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of school-going children from disadvantaged communities found themselves unable to follow their online lessons.

For one simple reason - they lacked a laptop, tablet or any form of smart device.

Touched by the plight of these children, BAC Education Group managing director, Raja Singham launched the '1Million Devices' initiative in September last year.

“The 1Million Devices project isn’t about tech. It is about giving underprivileged children an education and a fair chance in life,” Raja Singham told Bernama.

The BAC Education Group embarked on a campaign to collaborate with corporate organisations, foundations, donors, families and friends to donate new or refurbished laptops to help 600 deserving children.

Since then, 106 recipients comprising B20 and B40 children from the PPR communities, Myanmar Muslim, Rohingya and Somali refugees, Orang Asli communities, Tamil school students in Selangor, a community centre in Pulau Pangkor and a centre for the differently abled received tablets, refurbished laptops and new laptops over a period of six months.

An impact study conducted in December last year, among 30 children who received the devices, indicated that the greatest value add was accessibility to knowledge available on the internet.

The study also found that these children shared the device with their siblings and neighbours. This meant one device served the needs of five children.

BAC estimates that to date, about 2.4 million children from B40 communities across Malaysia are in need of a digital device.

 Its donors fall into two groups; those who donate funds to purchase refurbished laptops and those who donate refurbished laptops to be distributed to children in need.

The 1Million Devices initiative has sourced another 50 digital devices which will be distributed to underprivileged kids on their database.

“Our goal is to ensure no child is left behind. We need corporate organisations, foundations, donors, families and friends to work together to help these children get a device,” said Raja Singham.

 Individuals or organisations keen to help end digital poverty can do so by fundraising or donating usable old laptops.

These will be refurbished and gifted to deserving underprivileged children.

 Donors can contact hello@1milliondevices.my or Lawrence Chan at 012 2078075 for details.

 -- BERNAMA