Completing the package of data, learning content and devices to B40 families

Kuala Lumpur 7 April 2020: YTL Foundation announced today that it is giving away free mobile phones under its Learn from Home Initiative. This is in addition to the free YES 4G SIM cards with 40GB of data and free learning resources that has been made available to students in government schools.

Working with YTL Communications, YTL Foundation is offering free mobile phones to families in the B40 community with children in government schools who do not have smartphones or other smart devices. Each mobile phone will come with a prepaid YES 4G SIM card and a 12-month data plan with 120GB of data in total.

To ensure that the free mobile phones are given to families most in need, YTL Foundation is calling on government school teachers to submit nominations as teachers are best able to identify these families. Teachers are front liners when it comes to helping needy students in their classes, often volunteering their own time and resources to help these students. Teachers are also the natural partners for parents if learning from home and learning in school is to be an integrated experience for students.

Since the launch two weeks ago, the staff at YTL Communications have been working around the clock to fulfil the applications for the free YES 4G SIM cards. In the rush of processing the applications, one from a single mother living in a fishing village in Labuan stood out. The application included a photograph of three small children, a boy and two girls holding their father’s death certificate. The children’s mother had sent the photograph with her application as she was unsure if her children were entitled to the free SIM cards since her husband had passed away. Like many others in her village, she had recently lost her job due to the Movement Control Order. Moved by her plight, YTL Foundation gave her a free phone and SIM card.

This is the story of not just one family. It is the story of many Malaysian families who are largely unseen, who struggle to make ends meet and who are hardest hit during this Covid-19 crisis. However, despite their circumstances, their children’s education is a priority.

Puan Sri Sherina Aris, a former teacher and wife of YTL Foundation Trustee Tan Sri Aris Othman said, “I fully agree that teachers are best placed to evaluate the needs of the students in their class. I grew up in an extremely poor family, and it was my teachers who helped me finish my education. I had become anaemic from lack of nutrition and it was a teacher who noticed this and sent me to a doctor and found sponsors for my school fees. The other teachers chipped in to make sure I had enough daily nutrition. As a former teacher and someone who has experienced the kindness of teachers, I believe you can trust that teachers have the wellbeing of their students at heart.”

Tan Sri Francis Yeoh Sock Ping, Chairman of YTL Foundation added: “My mother was a teacher and we grew up seeing her dedication to her students. She would give extra classes to her weaker students every day after school, but not before feeding them as she knew that many would not be able to afford a decent midday meal. We salute all teachers and we trust them to help us ensure that their most needy students will receive the free mobile phones.”

Teachers can nominate students to receive a free phone at www.ytlfoundation.org/learn. Successful candidates will be notified and will be required to submit their registration for the free mobile phone and 12-month YES 4G data plan.

Since launch of the initiative, FrogAsia has added thousands more quizzes into the FrogPlay Mobile App and Teach For Malaysia has joined FrogAsia to develop English, Science and Mathematics lessons mapped to the national curriculum. Please visit www.ytlfoundation.org/learn for these resources and to apply for the free YES prepaid 4G SIM cards.

For regular updates on the initiative, follow us on https://www.facebook.com/ytlfoundation or @ytlfoundation on Instagram and Twitter.