Its vice-president, Lim Wei Jiet, said laptops are a basic necessity for every student, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when learning is mostly conducted online.

“We urge the government and the ministry, in particular, to formulate a policy where every B40 or underprivileged student in all private and public universities is given a laptop,” he said in a statement today.

“A B40 student should not be placed in a situation where he has to rely on the generosity of a coursemate.”

This comes after a video showing Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) lecturer Roshana Takim scolding a student who did not have a computer, went viral.

“If you have a sister and she has a gold bracelet, tell her to sell that and buy you a computer. You can’t learn properly when you have no computer,” Roshana told the student, adding that it only costs RM800 to get a computer.

The student had earlier responded to her questions about his family, saying that his father was unemployed and his mother was “not around anymore”.

On March 18, communications and multimedia minister Annuar Musa said applications for the PerantiSiswa Malaysia Family package will open from mid-April to benefit 400,000 students from the B40 group in higher education institutions.

The package was first announced during the tabling of Budget 2022 last October to ensure university students have the necessary devices and internet access at a reasonable cost.