Post-MCO strategy a must

A HEALTH crisis of epic proportion, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused 191 countries to close down all their primary and secondary schools and led to an uneven shift to online learning, according to McKinsey & Company’s ‘School-system Priorities in the Age of Coronavirus’ report.

In Malaysia, the lack of Internet connectivity and ICT infrastructure in remote locations are the main causes of the uneven shift to online learning among urban and rural students, said Sarawak Teachers’ Union (STU) vice-president Adam Prakash Abdullah.

Even before the movement control order (MCO) was in place, there was already a vast gap between the rural and urban schools in terms of student and parent background, teacher qualification and infrastructure, he said, lamenting how aid packages rolled out during the MCO have bypassed dilapidated schools in remote areas.

While the absence of a risk management analysis in the past meant that problems that could paralyse the school system were not anticipated, this pandemic presents an opportunity for us to troubleshoot and start reform efforts to improve the system, he said.

“The Education Ministry and all relevant parties should come up with an inclusive post-Covid-19 action plan that can be effectively implemented even in rural schools.

“Such a plan must include lesson preparations through various modes including print, audio, video and web, so that we will not be blindsided should another crisis occur.

Meanwhile, immediate remedial actions should be in place to revise lessons carried out during the MCO.”Universiti Malaya (UM) Faculty of Education dean Prof Dr Rohaida Mohd Saat said poor Internet connectivity and access to devices hindered the learning process for poor students.

Some households still can’t afford devices for their children despite the government providing tax relief and loans for computing and electronic devices.

“Sharing limited devices will affect a child’s online lesson.

The government could introduce new initiatives such as reducing import taxes on computing devices and capping their prices.

Get companies to sponsor devices for needy families and provide funding for research institutes to develop affordable devices, ” she said, adding that UM has sponsored Internet packages to over 2,000 students.