By Lee Xin En and Teo Wan Gek

Unlike many children her age, eight-year-old Zuraidah Muhammad has never played a computer game.

But she is keen to learn to use a computer, and has asked her brother Muhammad Najip, 27, for one.

But Mr Najip, who is married and has a young family, does not have a steady income as an odd-job labourer. He is looking for a full-time job.

Zuraidah, however, may soon have her wish. The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) unveiled a slew of enhancements to its Neu PC Plus scheme for needy families last Tuesday.

The scheme provides needy families with subsidised computers at less than a quarter of the normal price of a desktop or laptop.

Depending on the model of desktop PC, families will now pay between $136 and $176. The price for a PC package in 2006 when the scheme was last enhanced was $285.

A greater variety of laptops is also available, at prices ranging from $214 to $347, down from $730 two years ago. Another new feature is that families will be eligible for a new computer every four years instead of five.

New families signing up will still be entitled to a free, three-year broadband subscription plan as before. Low-income families who already have computers, or who do not need to buy a new one yet, are being offered a 1Mbps broadband connection at just $1.50 a month.

Social workers have welcomed the changes. Ms Grace Lee, centre director of Care Corner Family Service Centre (Toa Payoh), said: 'For the upper primary levels, not having a computer can be quite a disadvantage as there is project work which requires the use of computers.'

Still, she felt that even the highly subsidised cost could be 'a big sum' for some families.

When The Sunday Times called at Mr Najip's extended family home, he said he was not even aware of the scheme.

For needy families with a monthly household income of less than $2,500, there are two ways of buying these subsidised computers. Families may apply via schools, or via seven voluntary welfare organisations.

In the meantime, Mr Najip is grateful that his little sister, who is in Primary2, gets to go for computer lessons at school. She recently completed two homework assignments in writing, which her teacher accepted.

Nevertheless, she hopes that she will have a computer soon. She said: 'I want to use my computer to learn maths, and I really hope I can learn to play games too.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.