In sharing this, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Wallace Bay senior assistant for student affairs Sibrin Daie said the poor internet coverage in Wallace Bay and surrounding areas had forced the students to go far from their homes to take part in PdPR lessons.

“The phone line is fine but we are having trouble connecting to the internet.

“There is a need to improve internet coverage in Pulau Sebatik to allow the PdPR sessions to run smoothly,” he told reporters after receiving 10 smartphones from the Tawau Red Crescent Society for less fortunate students at the school here today.

Sibrin said there were 266 students in SMK Wallace Bay, who mostly come from low-income families.

The majority of them do not own a mobile phone, thus the smartphones would make it easier for them to take part in online classes.

“These mobile phones will be given to 10 eligible students. We know that at SMK Wallace Bay, many students are sharing mobile phones with their parents.

“So, if the parents go to work, they will not be able to attend the PdPR lessons,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tawau Red Crescent Society chairman Pang Pak Chung said their aid programme targeted secondary school students who did not have mobile phones.

He said 10 students at SMK Wallace Bay had met the requirements to receive the phones, based on the information given by the school.