Home-based schooling a challenge for teachers, students and parents

 

Implementation of the home-based Teaching and Learning (PdPR) for students nationwide is seen as a challenge, not only for parents but also teachers and students in having to face various issues.

A teacher at a school in Putrajaya said the attendance of online classes among students from the 'back classes' is quite low.

"For example, the attendance of students from the first class is 24 people out of a total of 27, while the attendance among students from the back classes is six out of 19 people. Students who are good will survive, and the weak will continue to be left behind.

"At school, teachers can call students face-to-face and motivate them, but when the class is conducted online, it depends on the students themselves, their preparation in terms of gadgets, data plan and self-motivation," he said when contacted today.

The teacher, who declined to be named, said another challenge of online classes is the problem of monitoring the students' discipline and focus on their studies.

He claimed there are students who opened two windows or applications on their laptop screen - one for online class and the other to play 'online games'.

For Form Three student of a school in Selangor, Syakir Fazly, 15, the challenge of studying at home is not being able to focus on his lessons as his siblings often make noise and disturb him when he is having his online classes.

"It is difficult for me to listen to the teacher and other students. When a student has a question, the teacher just continues to teach because the teacher could not hear the question and the student's voice.

"Apart from that, not everything that is taught by the teacher can be clearly understood because the telephone screen is small. The link provided by the teacher is always difficult to access," he added.

A private sector employee, Shahidah Musa, who is in her late 30s and has children attending Year One and Two in Selangor, said there were teachers who were inconsistent and kept changing the social media platforms and mediums in handling their PdPR classes.

"There are times the teacher uses the WhatsApp platform, then switch to Telegram. The learning medium also changes… from the Zoom app to Google Meet and video calls.

"Apart from that, the time the class starts also keep changing. The first day, it was at 9.30am, the second day at 10am. Parents have to always wait for information and updates from teachers," she added.

Shahidah, who had bought mobile phones for her children to facilitate their PDPR learning, said there are parents who have to 'learn' Google classroom applications and so on to enable them to help their children with the assignments or homework, especially those that require them to record videos.

Businesswoman Norazah Muda, 49, said her youngest son, who is supposed to enter Form One at a private religious residential school in Negeri Sembilan, has yet to start his PdPR lesson.

"I am worried about buying him a mobile phone or laptop because based on my experience during the movement control order (MCO) last year, I found him very obsessed with video games and even shopped online when he had access to the gadget," she added.

Norazah said during the MCO last year, her son used her handphone to follow the PdPR lesson and do his homework.

Hairunnisak Aman, 39, of Johor, who has children aged six, eight and 10, said PdPR not only demands high discipline of students, but parents also have to play their role to ensure their children are focused.

"It is quite challenging because it requires a high level of commitment to participate in the 'Google Meet', 'Google Classroom', Telegram, WhatsApp sessions, for three children who are all in primary school at the same time.

"However, for now, I can still find time to monitor them," said the food caterer when contacted by Bernama.

- Bernama