WITH educational institutions across the country closed for the coming weeks, educators, parents and students alike are looking for solutions to enable teaching and learning to continue at home during this uncertain time when the routine of daily life has been so suddenly disrupted.
Universities and private schools that are well resourced have moved to providing classes online, and it seems inevitable that exams will also be conducted online if the situation does not improve quickly.
Outside of tertiary and private institutions, parents with children in government schools are left wondering about the status of their children’s education while schools are closed.
To find out how it can support parents and students, YTL Foundation carried out a survey among parents with school-going children to understand their primary concerns during this period.
The survey found that for 95% of parents, a key concern is how their children’s education remains uninterrupted while they are at home.
About 90% of them have at least one mobile device at home and are open to their children learning online but around 50% expressed the need for data to enable effective access to online learning resources.
For those in the B40 group, having to purchase data would be a huge burden, especially now when household incomes are at risk.
The YTL Group has championed the use of technology in education since 2011. The Group believes that online learning can provide a rich and engaging experience for students, and with the tools available today, parents and teachers can continue educating children at home during this period.
Hearing the concern of parents, the YTL Group is investing in providing free online resources and free mobile data to all students in government schools. This is to ensure that Malaysian children will not be disadvantaged during their time out of school and can continue to learn at home without the burden of additional costs to their families.
To enable this, YTL Foundation is collaborating with YES and FrogAsia to launch the Learn From Home Initiative.
From today, all students can access FrogPlay Mobile – a gamified mobile App with revision quizzes for every core subject taught in national schools from Standard One to Form Five curated by trusted education publisher, Pelangi.
To provide online access, parents of children in government schools in the country can obtain up to five free 4G prepaid SIM cards from YES, one for each school-going child in the family. Each SIM comes with a 40GB data plan that will be valid for 60 days upon activation and will be couriered to homes free of charge.
“YTL Foundation has always been about supporting students and schools to make education better for all, ” said YTL Group executive chairman and YTL Foundation chairman Tan Sri Dr Francis Yeoh.
“At this time when the country is facing the unprecedented crisis of keeping our citizens safe from the Covid-19 pandemic, we want to make sure that children are able to continue their education at home.
“We are therefore giving free access to FrogAsia’s online learning resources and providing free data via the YES 4G mobile network. Our hope is that all children in this country will stay safe and stay learning.”
He added: “And as we care for our children at home, let us not forget the front line heroes in essential services who are risking their lives out there, so that the rest of us can stay safely at home.
“We salute them with all our hearts. May God bless and protect all the rakyat of our beloved nation.”
Please visit www.ytlfoundation.org/learn to register for FrogPlay Mobile and apply for the free YES prepaid 4G SIM cards. Additional lesson resources are also available on the Learn From Home page on the YTL Foundation website.
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