KUALA LUMPUR: AS the closure of schools and universities due to the Covid-19 pandemic disrupts the education
of more than 1.5 billion students and youth globally, educators have turned to online teaching to keep lessons going.
With the Movement Control Order (MCO) extended until April 28, millions of students in Malaysia, including more than 4.9 million school-goers, are confined to their homes.
Teachers have adopted e-teaching modes, from web-conferencing via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, Google Hangouts Meets and Google Classroom to using WhatsApp and Telegram.
Educators told the New Sunday Times that while they were working hard to prepare learning materials, they faced challenges in terms of not only students’ discipline or willingness to learn, but also a lack of resources and facilities.
To offset the impact of school closures, the government has introduced Kelas@Rumah, aired daily on the free-to-view TV Okey.
Teachers, however, said more could be done to ensure a smooth learning process. They also raised concerns about the socio-economic impact of school closures on students and potential rise in dropouts.
They called on the government to provide affordable Internet data packages for underprivileged students, TV Okey to offer content that caters to different levels of students, as well as monetary and food aid for students who depended on free meals provided by schools.
Norhailmi Abdul Mutalib, from SMK Jerlun, Kedah, who teaches Science, said he used WhatsApp to conduct lessons after taking into consideration his students’ socio-economic background, where not everyone owned information technology gadgets or had an Internet connection.
He teaches Form 4 and 5 students, most of whom come from Bottom 40 per cent-income families.
“I formed a WhatsApp group for my students since the start of the school year. Although I received good response initially, now only half of them are active.
“The numbers are decreasing due to problems such as lack of IT gadgets and Internet data. Since the MCO, I have been sharing materials like videos, articles, quizzes and Google Forms as they are user-friendly and do not take up much Internet data.
“We are lucky that the Education Ministry is collaborating with TV Okey to provide content for a wider audience.”
He said he also encouraged his students to use videos on EDUWEB.TV.
Norhailmi, one of Global Teacher Prize 2020’s top 50 finalists, said he ensured that students were assigned tasks at least twice a week.
However, he said, it was crucial to allow flexibility in teaching and learning.
“I don’t want to be so ambitious and push my students to the point of ignoring their limitations and hardship. Students who do not have the opportunity to be involved in the lessons could always use the videos and online materials post-MCO.”
Athough Norhailmi believed that e-learning would get a boost post-MCO, he said it could not replace traditional classroom learning that offered a personal touch and face-to-face interaction.
Since school closures added pressure on low-income families, his school worked with the parent-teacher association to provide food aid to students.
Following reports that extended school closures often led to an increase in dropout rates, Norhailmi said it was crucial to provide support and ensure that all students returned to school once the MCO ended.
“Our mental and emotional support for students is important. We don’t know what they are facing at home.”
Mohd Sirhajwan Idek, an international award-winning English teacher from Keningau Vocational College, said online interaction with students allowed him to focus on providing individualised instruction and feedback.
“Classes are conducted (via WhatsApp and Google Classroom) according to our timetable. We continue with assessments such as quizzes, slide shows and essays, but they are now done online.
“Students are responding well. Some have difficulties accessing the e-learning materials, so we rope in their peers to reach out and help them,” said Sirhajwan, who teaches students aged between 16 and 19.
He said the MCO had elevated the role of digital learning as an integral part of mainstream education.
This, he added, created an opportunity to train teachers to be more skilful in using digital technology and to invest in infrastructure and resources that supported digital learning.
Sirhajwan’s school has set up helplines that students could call if they required help, including coping with stress or domestic abuse.
Vanesri Kasi, who teaches English and remedial classes for Year 4 to 6 pupils at SK Bertam Perdana, Penang, uses WhatsApp, Google Classroom and Zoom to provide learning materials, quizzes and videos in line with the syllabus.
She said more than 80 per cent of pupils showed positive response towards e-learning.
“Some children do not have access to a computer or Internet connection, while some parents are not reachable by phone. So I provide such children simple notes and quizzes, which I send via text messages, to get them involved in lessons.
“Time management is an issue because it is a burden to parents when teachers assign tasks to children simultaneously. Imagine a parent who has five children but only one mobile phone. It is very difficult to manage.
“So the school came up with a timetable that makes it more flexible for children to learn online.”
Noorjahan Sultan, a Year Three teacher of Methodist Girls Primary School in Kuantan, Pahang, said 90 per cent of her pupils responded well to e-learning, conducted mainly through Whats-App.
“As I am teaching young children, who depend on their parents’ mobile phones to learn, I give them two to three days to finish their tasks.”
Noorjahan, who is in charge of the school library, said besides online classes, the school management and teachers also contacted relevant authorities to ensure food supplies reached children in need.
She hoped the government could monitor the aid distribution regularly and systematically to ensure no one was left out.
She did not dismiss the possibility of dropouts post-MCO.
“If there is too much homework and children cannot complete them before school reopens, it will add to their stress.”
Universiti Malaya socio-political analyst Prof Dr Awang Azman Awang Pawi, who conducts online classes, said the Education Ministry must urge telecommunications firms to provide
more discounts on Internet data packages, especially for students.
The ministry, he said, should provide universities the freedom to make the best decisions on teaching and learning.
“The methods of student assessment should be less stringent than normal circumstances without compromising the quality of teaching and learning.
“For instance, final examinations could be replaced with continued assessments or students should be allowed to take exams online.”