An initiative by United Overseas Bank (UOB) has brought welcome relief to parents who were worried about how their children would cope when schools closed in April and home-based learning kicked in.
With eight school-going children at home and only one laptop to share among them, Rachel (not her real name), 39, was afraid her children would fall behind.
However, the UOB My Digital Space programme proved to be a lifeline for the family, by providing them with two laptops.
Under the scheme, UOB gives out digital learning kits to students from low-income families in Singapore, Brunei, Hong Kong and Malaysia. It will eventually include Indonesia and Thailand.
More than 560 kits have been distributed to students across the region, including about 250 in Singapore.
UOB has also partnered with Singtel and Singapore Press Holdings to help Singapore students by donating a Wi-Fi package and a complimentary subscription to The Straits Times and a vernacular newspaper of the student’s choice, as part of these kits.
Students who get the laptops also have access to an online resource centre where they can learn about topics such as sustainability and cyber security, beyond their school curriculum.
Besides this initiative, UOB has also raised more than $1.65 million from staff and customers for the UOB Heartbeat COVID-19 Relief Fund, which helps 31 beneficiaries across the region.
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Source: The Straits Times, 30 July 2020