Let’s close the gap...

“More can – and needs to – be done to digitalise education. We are always playing catch up when we can be at the forefront if we have the political will and funds. Budget 2022 did not address digitalisation at the school level. We (PAGE) are afraid that the advantages of hybrid learning that swooped upon us during the pandemic will not be capitalised upon to bridge the learning loss and gap divide.

We are confident that if the powers that be put their minds towards achieving the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goal Four, which is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030, it can be done. A plan and a blueprint need to be drawn out and implemented carefully.

Accessibility to digital infrastructure for learning must be equal and for all. Thought must be given to maintenance of devices and software, and proper usage of them. Digitalisation can be an expensive affair if we fail to do so. While much has been done for rural and B40 students, assistance needs to be consistent and sustainable.”

Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (PAGE) chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim

“The UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) strongly welcomes and supports the government’s digitalisation efforts and priorities. What is needed is the recognition that everyone has a role to play in closing the digital divide and an inclusive agenda for action that is not only cognisant of future skills and emerging opportunities, but also one that values children, especially those who are most marginalised.

As schools reopen, there is a danger that the issue of digital exclusion falls out of public discourse and conversation, potentially leaving behind a significant number of children as we move forward. We need a long-term sustainable plan for reimagining education, one that builds and accredits basic skills, as well as skills in problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking that young people need for work, to start a business and to engage productively in their communities.

The availability and potential of technology means that digital inclusion and learning should be part of a basic basket of essential services for every child and young person, especially as children increasingly inhabit digital spheres and live digital lives. The massive scale of school closures caused by Covid-19 impacted more than five million children in Malaysia who have lost instructional time for much of the past year and a half. While efforts to provide remote instruction and learning are laudable, there have been severe challenges to digital access and inclusion, laying bare the uneven distribution of the technology needed to facilitate remote learning.”