Up to 100 low-income families will receive refurbished digital devices for work and study.
CAPE TOWN, April 22 (ANA) – Up to 100 low-income families in Singapore will receive refurbished digital devices through an initiative by the South Central Community (SCC) Family Service Centre to help them cope with home-based learning and working from home.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), a Singapore-based broadcaster, the devices include laptops and tablets that come with internet access.
The initiative was made possible after the SCC received a S$65,000 grant that was raised by the President’s Challenge 2021 (PC2021).
Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob welcomed the initiative during a visit to the SSC on Thursday and said it goes hand in hand with the President’s Challenge theme of building a digitally inclusive society.
“It is important that our communities who are disadvantaged and who are low-income are not excluded from digital access,” said Yacob.
“Therefore, enhancing their lives and empowering themselves and their children as well, so that they can learn better and become more effective to the rest of the community,” she said.
Yacob added that whether it’s buying something online, searching for a job or connecting with family, it’s important for everyone to have digital access.
The Straits Times publication reported that the initiative was started last year when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and low-income families were unable to cope with home-based learning due to not having the necessary digital devices.
Earlier this year, Singapore began its roll-out of a five-year plan to turn public libraries into digital learning hubs in its bid to drive digital transformation.
The drive aims to keep libraries relevant in a digital world and will allow visitors to select books through augmented reality using their mobile devices. They will also have access to 3D printing, robotics workshops and various other digital services to enhance experiential learning.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher
