THE Education Ministry has reneged on its word to call an open tender for internet services to schools for the remaining half of this year, YTL Communications Sdn Bhd (YTLC) said today.

It expressed surprised at the ministry’s recent announcement appointing telco competitors Telekom Malaysia, Celcom Axiata and Maxis to provide interim internet services to schools from July 1 till December.

“The ministry had excluded YTL Communications, reneged on its statement to call an open tender and agreed to pay for the internet services to the three appointed ISPs although we had offered the services for free,” YTLC said in a statement today.

“YTL Communications has invested more than RM4 billion building up the infrastructure in the schools for a 15 year project. It was our legitimate expectation that we would be given an extension of the contract into the next phase. 

“We view the ministry’s actions as being in breach of their contractual obligations to us. Disappointingly, they have not acted in good faith in respect of what we have been informed and what has actually been implemented.” 

YTLC’s contract to provide internet and e-learning services through the 1BestariNet and Frog VLE programme expired on June 30.

It was already known in July last year that a fresh tender would be called early this year to provide internet connectivity to 10,000 schools nationwide.

YTLC said the ministry had confirmed then that it would not be excluded from the tender.

YTLC said it made repeated inquiries with the ministry on its tender status and was informed in April that the government was not ready for a tender implementation on July 1, and would in the meantime require interim internet services for the schools.

The request for interim internet services was also conveyed to other service providers at a meeting in April this year.

YTLC said the ministry had informed telcos that it did not have the funds to pay for the interim service and requested for free connectivity.

YTLC said it wrote to Education Minister Maszlee Malik on May 31 confirming that it would provide free internet service as well as the Frog VLE for the interim period.

“Unfortunately, we did not receive any response to our offer,” it said. 

The company provided a copy of the letter with its press statement today.

Maszlee on June 27 announced that the ministry had awarded the interim services to TM, Celcom and Maxis. He also said Frog VLE would be replaced with Google Classroom.

YTLC expressed concerned over the replacement of Frog VLE, as digital learning content including “seven million quizzes” had been built up over the last seven years.

It added that teachers had also invested time in creating content for the platform, which could be shared by teachers nationwide

“Entire schools have become acculturated to using the platform. 

“Changing the platform and starting all over again will set the entire education system backwards by years,” it said.

YTLC also said it was disappointed with Maszlee for not refuting allegations against the company as published on a website called Sekolah Kita that was created after his June 27 announcement.

It said a post on seven reasons why the 1BestariNet project should be scrapped contained “spin” and other false and slanderous allegations.

YTLC said the minister should have dissociated himself from the article.

1BestariNet was awarded to YTLC in 2011 under the previous Barisan Nasional government. It was to be implemented in phases over 15 years.

There have been complaints, however, or slow connection speed and limited broadband.

The contract was also deemed costly and not beneficial to the government compared to other internet service providers.

But YTLC in its statement today said in had never once received any complaints from the ministry. –  July 3, 2019.