KUALA LUMPUR: The Rahmah Student Prepaid Package initiative is seen as an excellent step to ease the burden on students by providing access to telecommunication facilities, especially for learning purposes.
Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS) vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Khairuddin Abdul Hamid, however, suggested that the initiative be extended to Private Institutions of Higher Education (IPTS) so that more students can benefit from the assistance.
“This offer is currently only available for students of Public Institutions of Higher Education (IPTA) and Public Skills Training Institutions (ILKA). I hope this package is also expanded to Malaysian students at IPTS so they too can receive assistance from the government,” he told Bernama.
He was commenting on the recent announcement by Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil that the government will introduce Rahmah Student Prepaid Packages at a price not exceeding RM30, with a minimum initial data allocation of 30GB, valid for 180 days.
According to Fahmi, the package is specifically dedicated to secondary school leavers who continue their studies at selected IPTAs and ILKAs and will be available for subscription from Aug 16 through five telecommunications service providers: CelcomDigi, Maxis, U Mobile, TM Tech, and YTL Communications (YES).
Khairuddin said that UTS, as a Sarawak government-owned university with its campus in Sibu, always welcomes initiatives from the government or telecommunications companies to provide affordable prepaid packages to its students.
Meanwhile, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) vice-chancellor Prof Dr Ahmad Hata Rasit said the introduction of the package was relevant, meeting the needs of students for better internet coverage and services to enhance the quality of learning and teaching in today’s digital transformation era.
“UNIMAS will work with service providers to ensure that students have full access to this package, such as providing a one-stop centre booth in areas where students gather or in selected residential colleges.
“Additionally, continuous promotion of the initiative will be carried out through various communication channels to ensure that all students are aware of and take advantage of this package,” he said.
Meanwhile, UNIMAS student Fiona Sebie, 35, said the initiative will support the development of the country’s education system by reducing the financial pressures faced by students, such as transport costs and daily expenses.
Fellow student Rozuan Manduri, 38, said that in the digital age, access to devices and good internet is essential for distance learning and learning outside the classroom.
In SABAH, IPTA students are asking the government to introduce Rahmah Student Prepaid package at the 5G level, including in rural areas, to enable them to receive better internet quality than before.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s (UMS) Bachelor of Communication student Rosa Afdeela Salleh, 22, believes this can be implemented because the government had previously launched a similar package, the Rahmah 5G Package, in August last year.
“Our main issue in Sabah is that we face poor internet quality, which makes it difficult for students to do assignments or attend online classes when we are in the village. Cheap packages are good, but quality internet needs to be a priority,” she said.
Muhammad Ifran Izham Abdullah, 22, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Computer Science (Data Science) at UMS, said many students use the high-speed Wi-Fi facilities, between 30 Mbps and over 100 Mbps, provided by the university to complete various assignments.
However, he noted that when they are outside the campus, such as when they return to their hometowns in remote areas, it is quite difficult for them to get good internet coverage.
