The Malaysian Insight

LOW-INCOME families who are already struggling to make ends meet are now faced with the increased cost of furnishing their children with gadgets and upgrading their internet connection for online learning.

Families who spoke to The Malaysian Insight said they have seen a 50% increase in spending from having to switch to home-based teaching and learning (PdPR).

Chong Kah Yen,43, a single mother of three said her expenses have risen by 50% from having to buy smartphones and other items.

“My oldest child is using a laptop that I borrowed from my company but I had to buy smartphones for my two other children.

“I also had to buy a printer and ink as well as upgrade my internet service which is not cheap,” she said.

Chong, who lives in PPR Seri Pantai in Kuala Lumpur, said her children’s eyesight has also been compromised from having to stare at the tiny phone screens all day.

She added that the lack of interaction from peers and teachers is also causing her children to lose interest in their studies.

“They are slowly losing interest in studies because they don’t have any sort of physical interaction with their friends or teachers.”

According to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s national recovery plan, schools will only reopen in phase three in September or October.

The government will reopen the country in phases based on three barometers: a decline in the number of daily Covid-19 cases, an increase in the percentage of the population vaccinated and when the healthcare system is no longer critical.

Schools have been closed for the better part of last year and this year in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.

They were reopened briefly in March and April before a spike in Covid-19 led to closures once again.

Balvinder Kaur, 57, shared that since the switch to online learning, she has had to install internet in her home at Taman Sri Sentosa, Kuala Lumpur, which has increased her monthly expenses.

“I installed WiFi for him and it is costing a bomb,” adding that in months that she really can’t afford it, her brother-in-law picks up the bill.

Balvinder who has to share her smartphone with her son when he has classes said she also had to buy a printer for her son to print notes from the teachers.

“We don’t have a printer. so I had to buy one and printing shops are closed due to the lockdown.”

Just like Chong’s children, Balvinder said her son is also losing interest in his studies.

“He’s all alone here with no physical interaction with his classmates. When he goes to school there will be activities and also he will be able to meet with his friends,” she said.

Meanwhile, Maizatul Akmal has had to switch from a prepaid plan to a postpaid mobile plan so that her son has better internet connection when attending online classes.

“He’s been skipping so many classes due to the internet connection. I have changed my data plan from prepaid to postpaid hoping to get a better connection for him,” she said.

Even with the upgrade, Maizatul who lives in the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) quarters in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, said her sons still need to sit outside their home to get reception.

“I hope school will reopen very soon cause if this goes on he will lose interest in his studies.”

All three parents said the education television service Didik TV, which kicked off on February 17, did little to help their children’s education.

They said when it came to subjects such as maths and science, their children find it hard to follow the lessons because they are not able to ask questions.

In April, Education Minister Radzi Jidin announced that UPSR exams have been abolished, while PT3 exams for Form 3 students have been cancelled for this year.

He also announced that SPM 2021 will commence in February 2022 while the written exams will begin in March.

Laptops for students from low-income families

Last year, the Education Ministry had announced that 150,000 eligible pupils from 500 schools nationwide will receive suitable devices to aid in online learning sessions.

However, up to June 6, only 12,887 units have been distributed.

Several lawmakers have questioned why this is taking so long, with some taking matters into their own hands and buying laptops for those in need.

Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said he had been approached by headmasters in his constituency to help by smartphones for students who can’t afford them.

Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh has also been approached by her constituents for help to buy gadgets for online learning.

“We don’t have funds to buy new equipment so we’ve been doing matching, matching our resident groups to provide unused refurbished laptops,” she said.

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman also launched an aid package to help those in his constituency.

Under his Sejiwa Package, he aims to provide 300 tablets to underprivileged students who now need to access online education. He had previously given out 500 laptops from fundraising. – June 28, 2021.