Over 300 less privileged students receive free laptops from Metro
Primary Six student Ahmad Arfan Ghazali is thrilled to have a brand new Lenovo laptop.
Previously, the 12-year-old had to share a refurbished laptop - given by voluntary welfare organisation Beyond Social Services - with his five siblings in their two-room Housing Board rental flat.
It will go a long way in helping the Zhangde Primary School student prepare for his Primary School Leaving Examination. Arfan told The New Paper: "I am happy because it is easier for me to learn and get more information for home-based learning and Zoom (lessons)."
He was among more than 300 local students from less privileged families served by Beyond Social Services who received $250,000 worth of laptops sponsored by property and retail group Metro Holdings Limited through its "Metro is Singapore" Covid-19 initiative.
Arfan's laptop was presented to him by Metro chairman Winston Choo at a ceremony on Tuesday.
Mr Choo said: "While the Covid-19 pandemic has affected Singaporeans from all walks of life, low-income families, especially those with school-going children, have been among the hardest hit. Through supporting their education, we hope to create a brighter future for the younger generation, and we seek to enable and strengthen the future pillars of society."
Fellow recipient Nur Musyafiqah Mustaffa, 16, who lives with her family of seven in a two-room flat, is also thankful for her new laptop.
The New Town Secondary School student, currently sitting her N levels, said it allowed her to complete her schoolwork remotely in smoother fashion. - GRACIA YAP
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