UOB distributes more than 2,700 laptops to disadvantaged students in Singapore

UOB will distribute 2,730 laptops to disadvantaged children and tertiary students in Singapore as part of its UOB My Digital Space programme.

UOB My Digital Space aims to provide children from disadvantaged backgrounds with digital learning tools and skills. The programme is part of the Bank’s broader global #UnitedForYou COVID-19 Relief Programme, which brings together the strengths of the UOB network and like-minded partners to help customers, colleagues and communities through to better times. Since its inception last year, the UOB My Digital Space programme has helped met the digital education needs of close to 1,230 beneficiaries in Singapore.

Mr Wee Ee Cheong, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, UOB, said, “We are heartened to see many students benefitting from the UOB My Digital Space programme. Our efforts reflect UOB’s commitment to promoting digital inclusion among students from lower-income families, which helps foster greater social inclusiveness. With online learning being the new norm, UOB My Digital Space takes on greater relevance to support disadvantaged students in receiving a quality education. We look forward to working with all of our partners on more initiatives to ensure the young are equipped with the essential resources necessary for their digital learning journey now and into the future.” 

UOB will donate 230 new laptops, worth close to S$300,000, to underprivileged students, particularly tertiary students to facilitate their home-based learning. Recipients will also receive essential home-based learning accessories such as a mouse, a headset with in-built microphone and a multi-USB port.

Mr Suresh Natarajan, Principal of ITE College Central, one of the schools benefiting from the Bank’s laptop donation, said, “Many of our students either do not have a computer device or need to share one device with their siblings and parents, which badly affects their active participation in home-based learning. Many of the students end up accessing lessons from their mobile phones, which may not be ideal.”

In expanding the UOB My Digital Space programme and to encourage a more sustainable future and circular economy, UOB has teamed up with non-profit organisation, Engineering Good, to refurbish and to distribute 2,500 used laptops progressively under Engineering Good’s Computers Against COVID initiative. This new initiative will complement the Bank’s ongoing UOB My Digital Space programme to bridge the digital gap for disadvantaged students. In addition to sponsoring the costs of refurbishment, UOB will donate its decommissioned desktops and laptops, as well as rally its employees in Singapore to donate their pre-loved devices that are in good working condition.

Mr Patrick Hee, Chief Revenue Officer, Engineering Good, said, “The Computers Against COVID collects donated laptops from individuals and companies who would have otherwise disposed of their devices. Engineering Good refurbishes them for the disadvantaged community in Singapore. This enables the beneficiaries to use the laptops for their learning or school purposes and also gives these devices a new lease of life while we reduce e-waste. However, the refurbishment of laptops comes at a price as we need to repair or upgrade them for use. With our partnership with UOB, we are able to distribute at least 200 laptops every month to benefit the disadvantaged community who need laptops for study or learning.

As part of the UOB My Digital Space programme, UOB will also launch an interactive learning portal that features educational multimedia content on art, environmental sustainability, cybersecurity and financial literacy, as well as game-based learning activities. The National Environment Agency and Cyber Security Agency of Singapore are among the partners that will contribute content to the interactive learning portal, which will be available on all laptops distributed under UOB My Digital Space.