When online learning is a lesson for all

Parents need to guide their children when learning online during the pandemic. — Filepic

CHILDREN in Malaysia have spent the last year (mostly) at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This means they attend classes virtually.

When online learning was first implemented to cope with the challenges posed by the coronavirus, it was a little chaotic as teachers struggled to get their syllabus online while students and parents tried to keep up.

Parents complained that homework was given non-stop, possibly because there was no clear indication how much homework was suitable for each child per day.

Those who were initially excited by the idea of online learning quickly felt stressed; not only because of the amount of schoolwork their children had to complete under their guidance, but because many of the subjects were different from what they learned in school.

Many also did not know how to teach their children.

Some studied first before teaching their children, while others chose to let the young ones deal with the schoolwork on their own.

Some children started to lose interest and let their homework pile up until the last minute, while others just convinced their parents to do the work for them.

These were seen mainly in younger children, and was proven via the various social media posts by guilty parents as well as baffled teachers.

Major issues such as lack of Internet connectivity and unstable telecommunication lines coupled with the absence of digital tools such as smartphones and laptops further hindered a smooth online learning experience.

The government tried to step in by getting telecommunication companies to either reduce their price of service or give out free limited data to users, besides introducing assistance schemes such as free smartphones, free Internet services and so on.

However, many — especially those in Sabah — still struggle to get basic Internet access. To do so, they have to get to higher ground.

This was highlighted to the world when a young girl, Veveonah Mosibin, uploaded a YouTube video of herself spending the night on top of a tree to prepare for her online exam in June last year as the Internet reception was better up there.

The video of the 18-year-old student from Kampung Sapatalang in Pitas, Sabah, led to more people showing themselves climbing to higher grounds in many parts of Sabah, some not even that far from the city, for the same purpose.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has since promised to upgrade towers and build new ones.

Some areas are starting to see progress as nine new towers in Kudat started operating in June this year.

Recently, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Arthur Kurup said that so far, 51 new telecommunication towers had been completed and 1,874 were undergoing 4G upgrades in Sabah as of June 30.

He said 535 new telecommunication towers were expected to be completed by 2022, depending on the Covid-19 and economic situation.

At the end of 2020, the effectiveness of online study is yet to be proven although the government announced earlier this year that the overall SPM results for 2020 had exceeded expectations, with an increased passing and excellence rate.

This shows nothing is impossible as there are many teachers who will go beyond their duties to ensure that study materials are delivered to their students, as seen in many cases in Sabah’s rural and interior areas.

There have been numerous reports and you only need to type PDPR Sabah, Sabah online learning or similar key words to know more.

The question now is — how effective is online learning, really?

Personally, I find it is not as effective as face-to-face learning, and that is a fact for my child because not all teachers conduct daily Zoom meetings or interact virtually with their students.

Some just give out notes on YouTube and give homework or quizzes to complete the lesson.

Children can ask their teachers questions if they have any problems, but how many will?

I know of pupils, especially kindergarten children, who only get homework from their teachers, without the teachers really interacting with them.

You may say it is difficult to conduct online classes with proper interaction every day, but some teachers have found ways to effectively fulfil their responsibility.

Of course, sometimes online learning involving teacher-student interaction cannot be held due to technical or other issues. But I think teachers should facilitate this at least once a week.

While it’s understandable to ask for parents’ help in such unprecedented times, not all parents are able to work from home and not all parents know how to teach. Some parents may be illiterate.

Teachers should teach daily, just like when the children attend physical classes, and not just give out homework and leave the teaching to parents.

Many parents have complained to me about this problem during the pandemic.

I also see it in my own child’s class, where at least one teacher stays “silent” for a whole month and just gives notes and homework to students to understand and complete on their own.

“Ask me if there is any problem, ya” is the usual note attached to these assignments.

Most children then start to lose interest in school and even do other activities such as watching videos on YouTube during class.

Parents are not always able to monitor the classes, though I do know of some who sit beside their children and help them by giving ideas during the lessons.

On the other hand, there are also some who become overly involved and start to scold their child during the online sessions.

Meanwhile, some parents believe that it is best to “just let children be children”, as now is the time for them to enjoy their childhood without having to worry about schoolwork and serious world troubles.

This pandemic has been going on for over a year and it is safe to say that online classes will be part of our lives longer than we think.

Digitalisation is inevitable and therefore, educators have to adapt and do the best they can while parents too have the same amount of responsibility to ensure their children stay on track and learn accordingly.

There is no right or wrong in how we adapt to changes, only trial and error, and non-stop trying.

If we give up, we will see the end of civilisation in the long run.