HOME-BASED teaching and learning is the safest way to break the Covid-19 chain of infections during the Movement Control Order (MCO).
Parents and teachers in cities have grievances about home-based teaching and learning.
However, the constraints facing Orang Asli settlements are enormous.
Internet access is limited in rural areas, such as Orang Asli villages in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak.
In fact, there are villages that do not have electricity or have it only at night.
Children whose parents are not information technology-literate will face difficulties and will have to figure out how to use this digital platform on their own.
It is not surprising to learn that some teachers are not well-versed in online learning.
The reason for this is that in the previous system, teachers used online learning only as a supplement or addition to the curriculum.
They now have no other choice. The worst part is that the previous school was also a place for students, particularly those who are less able to obtain nutritious food.
With the MCO, schools are closed, and students from poor families are at a higher risk of going hungry, which will disrupt their learning.
These students, who are required to stay at home during the MCO, will experience physical and emotional deterioration.
It is even more unfortunate that some parents are unable to provide learning facilities, including gadgets, for their children,
The Orang Asli are also lagging behind in terms of using Google Meet, Zoom and WhatsApp for their children's learning. Some parents can't even read.
So how do they intend to guide their children?
As a result, the children will resume their routines in villages.
For that reason, it is not surprising that many Orang Asli students had to stop studying due to the inability to provide learning via the Internet and hence they lost interest in learning.
What's more, due to the long holidays during the MCO, children in primary and secondary schools prefer to play and relax.
To tackle this, stakeholders, particularly the Education Ministry, should develop a strong and comprehensive strategy.
Indeed, the ministry has issued guidelines for school administrators, teachers, parents and students to use during MCO to conduct online learning, particularly through its learning portal.
Nevertheless, due to a lack of Internet access among parents and students, online learning is proving to be a challenge for teachers who are trying to ensure continuous teaching.
The Department of Orang Asli Development, the Communications and Multimedia Ministry and the Rural Development Ministry should collaborate to address the issue of online learning for indigenous students.
To ensure the effectiveness of online learning, parents should be provided with guidance and guidelines as well.
ZURIANI YAACOB
Senior lecturer
Academy of Language Studies,
UiTM Raub, Pahang