KUALA LUMPUR: Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has allocated RM15.87 million this year to help nearly 50,000 school students through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes in the field of education.

TNB chairman Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the allocation included sponsorship of online learning facilities, basic school materials for students, and activities such as workshops, tuition and examination preparation.

"We have sponsored and implemented various school-level programmes since 2013 to nurture future generations and ease the burden of B40 families, especially in rural areas, starting with the PINTAR school programme which was mooted by Khazanah Nasional (Berhad)," he said in a statement, today.

He said 11 rural schools nationwide were selected for the programme this year with assistance of RM315,000 for motivational camp activities, tuition classes, seminars and examination workshops with a total allocation of RM945,000 for the 2021-2023 period.

According to Mahdzir, TNB is also spending RM32 million for five years or RM6.4 million a year for education transformation programmes in eight selected schools in Perak, Terengganu, Selangor and Kelantan under the Trust Schools Programme.

In addition, to help students from urban poor families around TNB's headquarters in Bangsar here, the company will spend RM675,000 over three years starting this year to channel an allowance of RM1,500 a year for 150 students.

Mahdzir said to support efforts to bridge the digital gap, TNB, as one of the main sponsors of Tabung Cerdik which is conducted by Khazanah's CSR arm Yayasan Hasanah, contributed RM5 million to 3,165 secondary school students for the provision of laptops, tablets and data packages.

"For the 'Ceria Ke Sekolah' programme, 30,000 students from B40 families have and will receive school equipment donations with an allocation of RM3 million this year," he added.

Meanwhile, TNB has also allocated RM395,000 to provide free spectacles to more than 1,000 primary and secondary school students under the 'Better Brighter Vision' programme.

According to him, TNB also provided various forms of educational sponsorship to the parent-teacher associations of more than 96 schools throughout the peninsula to succeed in various school activities with a contribution value of RM536,000 until last June.

-- BERNAMA