The project was announced as part of the 2021 national budget, and is a partnership between the finance and education ministries with funding from a number of government-linked companies and government-linked investment companies.

The 13 companies involved have contributed RM150 million to the initiative.

The first batch of devices is set to be delivered in February, and is aimed at helping students from lower-income families adapt to online learning due to the closure of schools.

In a statement, education ministry secretary-general Yusran Shah Mohd Yusof said they “want to bridge the learning gap between those who can afford digital devices and those who cannot,”.

He was also hopeful that CERDIK will serve as a pilot for future digital learning models.

Students and schools will be selected by the education ministry, who have also decided upon the hardware and software specifications to maximise long-term sustainability.

Yayasan Hasanah, the impact-based foundation of Khazanah, is the secretariat of the CERDIK initiative, and their managing director Shahira Ahmed Bazari said they are “working hard with all parties to accelerate the pace of distribution.”

After the tabling of the budget in November, and the subsequent passing in the Dewan Rakyat of the initiative, some quarters have questioned the delay in the delivery of devices, including former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching.