SEMPORNA: Online Learning and Facilitation (PdPc) sessions can be difficult for students especially if they have to share a mobile device with other family members, but many don’t have a choice.
A Form Three student in the district, who wants to be known only as Sarah said she shared the use of her mother’s smartphone with three other siblings, aged 10,13, and 14, to participate in the online PdPc sessions conducted by their respective teachers.
She said they could only afford one smartphone.
“The important thing is that we can still learn” she said.
Sarah, 15, who lives in an oil palm plantation about 23km from Semporna, said her mother, who is a housewife, advised them to use the phone according to a schedule.
“My siblings will use the phone in the morning and evening, while my turn will be at night.
“We are allocated three hours each to participate in an online PdPc session.
“It will take me two to three days to complete and submit assignments given by teachers due to poor Internet connectivity.
“However, I will notify the teacher if it takes too long to submit the assignment, ” said Sarah, who aspires to be a teacher.
Meanwhile, another student Nurazlizamudin Nurdin, 15, said he also had to share his mother’s smartphone with his two siblings, aged 17 and 10.
“After my elder sister and younger sibling finish their PdPc session in the morning and evening, I get my turn at night, ” he said.
He added that they also experienced poor Internet connectivity at their village in Pulau Bum-Bum near here.
Nurul Afiqah Athirah Maksudin, 12, from a primary school in a plantation about 90km from Lahad Datu, said she spent two hours a day participating in the online PdPc session from 9am to 10am and 3pm to 4pm using her mother’s or older sister’s smartphone.
“It takes me about a day to complete an assignment. I’ll take a picture of the assignment first and send it via WhatsApp.
“Slow Internet speed sometimes causes delays.
“That’s why I prefer classroom learning because I can speak directly with teachers, ” she said. — Bernama
