NOT ENOUGH DEVICES FOR PDPR, PARENTS RELIEVED AS SCHOOL TO REOPEN

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19 Feb 2021

By Ilona Andrew

KOTA KINABALU: Many parents have been struggling with a hurdle of sizable proportions where there are simply not enough devices to go around for their children's home-based teaching and learning (PdPR).

And when the Ministry of Education announced that face-to-face school sessions will reopen in phases, they heaved a sigh of relief knowing that their kids can go back to school despite the new norm.

"It's not that I am not worried about the possibility of Covid-19 spread among school students, I am. But for me, I do not want them to fall behind in their education.

Beverly

"The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to adapt to online and remote education, but some families like us faced so many challenges in providing our children with quality access to online education," said Beverly Natalie Koh from Kadamaian, Kota Belud.

She has six children with five of them of schoolgoing age - two in secondary school while three others in primary school. With only two mobile phones - belong to her and her husband - and one laptop, the kids have to take turns to participate in their online classes.

But taking turns and sharing, and sometimes with the instability or even absence of internet connection, means that some of them are inevitably left behind in their lessons.

"Even though they will return to school soon, I believe there will come a time when each of them needs their own devices to study without any disruption.

"With the pandemic still ongoing now, it is best to assume that we would soon go full-fledged with online learning again.

"This means that I need to buy five gadgets," she told Nabalu News, sighing as she worried about the cost that will need to be spent for the purpose.

According to the 37-year-old housewife, who has since the Movement Control Order (MCO) resorted to online business to support her husband and family, she has applied for a B40 free laptop assistance through her son's school, which she hopes her son is qualified for.

Beverly said, internet connection in Taginambur, where she resides, can be a headache sometimes. "We are using Digi unlimited data and the connection is slow sometimes. So we will switch to Celcom instead but the data is limited."

When all else to no avail, she said she would consider DidikTV, another supporting medium of learning recently launched to aid with learning at home, but she personally thinks that attending face-to-face lessons with their own teachers is much better.

"I personally think that education television is less interesting for the kids since they usually only watch the telly for entertainment. Online classes too are a bit difficult since they cannot really focus at home.

"The best method to ensure quality education can be maintained is through face-to-face teaching and learning session, which is why I am glad that my kids can return to school again.

"Of course, we will make sure that our kids will comply with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in school. After all, it has become part of our lives to wear masks, observe social distancing and take good care of our hygiene," she said.

Beverly also urged the government to improve internet connection particularly in rural areas as well as offer packages for parents to buy gadgets at affordable prices should PdPR be implemented again.

Another parent who is relieved that her kids will finally be able to attend school, despite the new norm, is Stella John Guntoi from Lahad Datu.

She said while online learning is good to curb the spread of Covid-19, it would affect the students' way of learning in the long run.

"I think students need to physically be in classes with their classmates and teachers to ensure full efficiency of the learning process.

"Regular attendance in classes helps them interact with other individuals of their own age and be better disciplined as well as improve their physical fitness and mental alertness.

"With classroom learning, it also allows teachers to better evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the students so that they know what suitable approaches can be applied throughout the process," she said.

Stella

Just like Beverly, Stella was daunted by the idea of getting each of her six children of school age their own device for their PdPR.

"They have to take turns to participate in their online classes with just one mobile phone available. It is hard because each of them has at least seven subjects.

"The process of finishing their homework could go on until late at night as they take turn using the one mobile phone, for the purpose.

"Even when they do not have classes, they still need to finish their homework which sometimes involves referring to YouTube educational videos. So they still need a phone for that," said the 41-year-old housewife.

She expressed hope that strict SOPs would be implemented at school to ensure that every student can receive their education without the fear of being infected by Covid-19.

"As a parent, I will make sure to provide anything to make sure that my kids are hygienically protected, such as preparing enough face masks and hand sanitisers for them."

In a press conference today, (Feb 19) Senior Minister for Education Mohd Radzi Md Jidin announced that students in Malaysia will return to schools in phases, beginning with pre-schoolers as well as Primary One and Two students on Mar 1.

The rest of the primary students will return to school a week later on Mar 8, while secondary students of all levels will start attending school on Apr 4.