SMART Digital International Sdn Bhd (SMART) group executive officer Khairuddin Abdul Rahman, in a statement today, said that the offer is part of SMART’s responsibility as the operator of the Sirius TV station to ease the burden of the public in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The use of these two channels will be able to help the ministry to broadcast educational content for primary and secondary schools more widely, as the SES – 12 satellites used by Sirius TV — has excellent access throughout the country, including in rural areas.

“This also allows the ministry to provide a medium for students to access educational content in the form of recordings or live broadcasts without relying too much on internet access,” he said.

However, Khairuddin said that until now the ministry has not responded to Sirius TV’s offer.

He said that by using Sirius TV’s two free channels, PdPR’s effectiveness would be able to be enhanced further, especially in areas where internet access is not satisfactory, as well as helping low-income families by not needing devices.

Khairuddin said that Sirius TV’s offer was in line with the proposal made by the National Union of the Teaching Profession to create an educational television channel accessible to students from all income levels and in rural areas.

He said that the satellite TV station will be officially launched in the first quarter of this year, with 30 channels and 12 months’ free subscription to consumers.