GEORGE TOWN: The Communications and Multimedia Ministry (KKMM) has set up a special committee in collaboration with Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) to identify areas without Internet access or poor coverage so as to facilitate the home-based teaching and Learning (PdPR) method.

Its Deputy Minister, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin (pix) said KKMM would go to the ground to see and monitor the areas without Internet access or having poor coverage and take immediate action.

“Since the PdPR was implemented, we have received information of pupils and students facing such problems, with some having to walk long distances from their homes to obtain Internet access.

“We hope that, through the committee, we can overcome the problem of no Internet access or poor coverage not only in the rural areas and interiors but also in security areas, such as police stations or army camps,” he said.

He told reporters this after visiting a Penang Media Practitioners’ Vaccination Programme at the Bandar Baru Ayer Itam Health Clinic today.

He said this when commenting on several newspaper reports regarding the problem of Internet access among pupils and students when following the PdPR.

Other than TM, Zahidi said KKMM would also request other telecommunication companies to assist in ensuring rural areas could get good Internet access.

“Many places, especially rural areas, have no Internet access or poor coverage. For this reason, the committee wants to know from the telecommunication companies why this is so and the measures that can be taken to overcome the problems now that we are working on providing 4G coverage nationwide.

“In addition, KKMM has also allocated RM15 million to the Education Ministry to be channelled to poor pupils to enable them to buy gadgets for their PdPR,” he said.

In another development, he said KKMM was discussing with several parties to assist those in the media industry who have lost their jobs so that they could continue working in other sectors.

He said that, based on information, about 5,000 media practitioners had been terminated so far and KKM was working on providing a one-off payment to them.

“We are in the midst of discussing and making efforts to help these media practitioners by giving them suitable trainings,” he said.