Rokiah Mahmud
The Early Endemic Phase of physical learning and teaching sessions allows fully vaccinated students to enter classrooms. However, for those who continue to attend remote lessons, parents are expressing concerns over the disruptions to learning due to poor Internet connectivity.
In an interview with the Bulletin, 43-year-old housewife Hajah Normah binti Haji Saini from Kampong Sungai Tilong said poor Internet connection has made online learning difficult for her children, which she was afraid could impact their studies.
“Some teachers provide pre-recorded videos so that the children could easily follow the online learning sessions. However, attending live streaming could improve their studies further,” she believed.
Meanwhile, public servant Wan said that parents need to adapt to the new normal, as unvaccinated children aged 11 and below are limited to home-based learning or online learning.
“There are times when the Internet connection is slower than normal, disrupting live streaming of classes. Thus, communication between parents, teachers and students is especially important during the pandemic,” he said.
Wan added that subscribing to Internet data also requires extra budget, especially for those with many children that need to attend online classes at the same time.
Part-time teacher at a private school Nur Afiqah Hafizah shared that some schools are also experiencing slow connectivity, making online teaching a challenge.
“This is why some teachers prefer to provide pre-recorded learning materials for their students, so that they can download them whenever the Internet connection is better.
“The slow Internet has also caused some teachers to end their lessons abruptly,” said Nur Afiqah. “I hope students understand what has been shared or delivered by teachers through pre-recorded videos, so that they will not be left behind,” she said.
The students can communicate with their teachers when they have questions or difficulties in understanding a subject or topic. However, disruptions to Internet have made preparations for upcoming lessons more challenging, said Nur Afiqah.
