Ikatan Guru-Guru Muslim (iGURU) president Mohd Azizee Hasan said the mobile devices can be distributed to students in the B40 and M40 groups who are eligible according to the current poverty line.

Azizee also called for a special allowance for teachers to buy teaching devices and cover the cost they have to bear while conducting lessons from home.

“This special aid can increase the professionalism of teachers during the Covid-19 pandemic and also motivate them to face the challenges of teaching amid the health crisis,” he told FMT.

He also recommended that Putrajaya increase its allocation to improve internet connectivity in schools, especially in rural areas.

“A large allocation in this category will have a big impact on students in rural areas, who are often lagging behind in terms of internet usage,” he said.

Meanwhile, National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) president Aminuddin Awang is hoping the government would create a DG56 promotion grade for teachers who have been at the DG54 grade for more than three years.

“In April 2018, (former prime minister) Najib Razak announced the DG56 promotion grade specifically for teachers who have been at the DG54 grade for more than five years. It was supposed to be in effect in 2019 but was not implemented by the new government at the time (Pakatan Harapan).

“Currently, the highest grade a teacher can reach through time-based promotion is DG54. I hope NUTP’s call can be realised by the Perikatan Nasional government,” he said.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz is scheduled to table the 2021 budget in Parliament tomorrow.