Demotivated and disillusioned pupils stay away from schools
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FOR a number of pupils in low-cost flats in the Klang Valley, schools have become boring since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, resulting in many skipping classes altogether.
These pupils, largely from the low-income group, said from the time when schools were closed under the movement-control order (MCO) in March till the current conditional MCO in place, they have no interest in studies.
Preying on parents’ fears of them catching the virus in school, they told The Malaysian Insight they would rather loiter in the neighbourhood than attend classes.
The situation on the ground reflects the latest “Families on The Edge” report, a joint study by Unicef and United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) on the urban poor, which revealed that one in five children have lost interest in school, while 7% of upper secondary children are no longer attending lessons since the MCO.
The experts said the government could strengthen measures to prevent school dropouts. These measures could include active collaboration between schools and social welfare services.
Some 500 families in People’s Housing Programme (PPR) housing in the Klang Valley, a government programme to resettle squatters and provide housing requirements for low-income earners, were interviewed for this joint study.
Muhammad Asyraf Syafi, 14, from SMK USJ 8 in Subang Jaya, said he heard of his class having only two pupils once. He himself attends classes occasionally only to avoid receiving a warning letter.
Muhammad Azmie Ramle, 15, who also goes to SMK USJ 8, said he did not attend school throughout the MCO period and often skipped school when physical classes resumed, only to be stopped again three weeks ago when there was an escalation of Covid-19 cases.
His mother, Asmiah Acho, 34, said she doesn’t know how to motivate him to study. Often, she found Azmie joining the other neighbourhood children to play.
“I would ask him to take the trash out, and then I never see him again throughout the day.
“I only hope he knows how to split his time well between studies, sports or character-building activities,” said the mother of five children.
Sabrina Zainukamal, 42, another mother in the same block, said: “I am concerned that my son will not be able to catch up on his studies, but on the other hand, I am afraid he will get infected with the virus.
“This is not a common flu, it actually leads to death. So I constantly nag my family to be aware of their cleanliness.”
Pupils demotivated
Chandreshan Ravichandren, 23, comes out to play with the other low-cost flat children on Tuesday evenings at the public field in Subang Jaya.
The sports enthusiast, who co-founded the Dream Village Cricket Academy (DVCA), often interacts and befriends the youth and coaches them to play cricket.
“When I first met Azmie, he came to play wearing his jeans, was barefoot and was vaping. I told him that if he wants to join the game, he has to be serious,” said Chandreshan.
“The next time Azmie came, he wore proper sports pants and he did not bring his vape. I also gave him a pair of shoes as promised.
“And then, he came every week.”
Chandreshan said that it is important to communicate with a vision and a goal that interests these kids.
“They are musically inclined though they have no music teacher. They are also good at sports, after only teaching them once, they pick up the skill naturally.
“The school system will need to change to cater to their interest.”
One of the boys, Ziehan Abdul Handi, 14, said he went to school once during the recovery MCO period. That day, he misplaced his school trousers at home, so he came to school in sports attire.
His teacher sent him home to get his proper uniform. Ziehan went home and did not return to school. Instead, he went to the field early for his games.
“The children feel that there is a lot of red tape in school. They said the teacher is always scolding and the teachers are happier without having to deal with them.
“For Ziehan to return to school during RMCO was a breakthrough, but the rules demotivated him again,” Chandreshan said.
Ziehan said he misses learning the Malay language, which is his favourite subject in school. He also said that he is afraid of becoming a failure, but right now, he has no plans to push himself up.
“After CMCO, schooling for the year will be almost over. So a few coaches and I are brainstorming a holiday programme for them.
“We hope to build a safe space for them, a team with them, taking them to competitions and exposing themselves, this is the education that I am capable of bringing to them,” Chandreshan said.
Chandreshan himself struggled through poverty while growing up and had experienced the consequences of life’s bad choices.
It was a cricket team that nurtured him and eventually, he was selected for the national team. While facing a minor injury, he was inspired to co-found DVCA to help marginalised children. – November 4, 2020.