Walton provides laptops among students at special facilities

Bangladeshi electronics and technology giant Walton is providing students from low-income families with laptop computers on easy terms to help them take part in their online classes or other academic activities following the coronavirus outbreak.  

The company is distributing the laptops under its "Distribution of Digital Education Assistant Devices" initiative. 

To start the programme, Walton distributed laptops among students of Dhaka Residential Model College on Wednesday, according to a press release. 

Gradually, the company will provide laptops on easy monthly instalment facility to students of other educational institutions, it added.

State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak attended the event as the chief guest while Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Division's Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain was the special guest. 

Brigadier General Kazi Shameem Farhad, principal of Dhaka Residential Model College, presided over the event.

To provide laptops on special facilities, Walton signed a deal with Dhaka Residential Model College at the function. Chief Executive Officer of Walton's computer department, Md Liakat Ali signed the deal on behalf of his company. 

In the function, digital education assistant devices were handed over to 16 students of the college. 

Zunaid Ahmed Palak said, "Our goal is to ensure laptop for every student. Therefore, the government has emphasised the local production of digital devices. Until 2016, country's entire mobile phone and laptop markets were fully import-oriented. But in the fiscal year 2016-17, the import duties on 96 essential components of digital devices were cut down to only one percent."

He continued, "The government's such a timely initiative has resulted in setting up of 8 local mobile phone and laptop manufacturing industries, including Walton. Now, Walton-made products are being exported to the developed nations including Germany and America." 

The state minister also informed that ICT Division and Walton jointly work in providing laptops to freelancers on interest-free easy instalment.

Walton Computer's CEO Liakat Ali said that as per the agreement, the DRMC students can buy Walton laptop by paying only Tk1,000 as interest-free monthly instalment.

Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, he said, this facility will help the students of limited income group afford a laptop easily to take part in their online based academic activities, adds the press release.