Kelas@Rumah would benefit schoolgoing children, whose education was put on hold due to the Movement Control Order (MCO).
RTM programme director Lokman Muda said the programme would give students, especially those sitting Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia this year, the opportunity to catch up on their studies.
Lokman said the programme would also benefit students who had no access to the Internet.
“Since schools are closed, the programme will benefit many students. All subjects in the television programme are taught in Bahasa Malaysia,” he said, adding that the television station worked closely with the Education Ministry on each subject’s guidelines.
The Education Ministry said it was seeking teachers with outstanding teaching record to helm one of the episodes.
“We’re currently discussing the matter. However, it is based on approval by the ministry,” said a ministry representative.
It was previously reported that the ministry had formed a team of educationists to revise the edu-web content for schoolchildren previously aired on YouTube.
“Rest assured, our team is constantly revising the content to suit the syllabus,” it said.
English language teacher Alison Chong Yu Wei, who teaches at a school in Petaling Jaya, said the ministry’s initiative would benefit students.
“The programme is useful because there are families without Internet access at home, especially those in rural areas. Since they can’t access online learning, Kelas@Rumah will ensure they can catch up with their studies,” she said.
The school’s pastoral care counsellor, Cynthia Sundram, who also teaches History and Malaysian Studies, said parents could motivate their kids and help them in their learning process.
Teng Chuan Wan, the principal of SR Seri Presbyterian in Batu Pahat, Johor, hoped that the programme would be developed further to become more comprehensive.
“Our aim is for an education system that is not examination-based. Ideally, it should be able to nurture other skills, such as communication and problem solving,” he said.
Suraya Ali, a mother of two kids, aged 8 and 4, from Cyberjaya, said while the television programme was a good idea, she also hoped that Internet data limit for individuals would be increased so that virtual classes could be conducted through videoconferencing.
“On one hand, the programme benefits children greatly, especially those living in rural areas with no Internet access,” she said.
“However, we should also look at ways to help them if they want to get more information about the things that they’ve just watched and learned.
“Not all parents can answer their children’s questions as some parents don’t have any formal education.
“When kids have no one to ask, they would become frustrated and that can lead to them skipping virtual school altogether.”
Kelas@Rumah was introduced so that students could access learning materials through alternative platforms during the MCO.
The programme is a collaboration between the Education Ministry and the Communications and Multimedia Ministry.
The initiative will run throughout the MCO period.
Kelas@Rumah, which started airing on Monday, will be aired from 9am to 10am, with a break in between before continuing from 1pm to 2pm.
The free programme is aired on Channel 110 (MyFreeview TV) and Channel 146 on Astro and Astro NJOI. For those with Internet at home, Kelas@Rumah can also be streamed live via www.myklik.rtm.gov.my
The complete programme guide can be found at the Education Ministry’s website at www.moe.gov.my or the ministry’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.