Home-taught children may face learning problems later, says expert

 

Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Kew Seih Teck says playing and learning are important to young children but home-based teaching methods do not allow for it.

KOTA KINABALU: A child expert says the learning system under the new norm can affect kindergarten children when they move up to primary school later.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Kew Seih Teck said home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) might be an alternative now, but the method is unsuitable for kindergarten children.

Ideally, he said, children should be studying as well as playing together, but this would be difficult under PdPR.

“Children must play at school, as this is how they learn from their friends. Such a method is very important for them.

“If PdPR can implement such a concept well, then this can work but so far, I have not seen that happening,” he told FMT.

Kew Seih Teck.

Kew said he has received feedback from parents that their children are having a tough time with PdPR and that is likely caused by the different surroundings compared to face-to-face learning at school.

He said many are unable to adapt to PdPR effectively, with even some parents complaining their children have cried or fallen asleep during such sessions.

“The children have problems asking and understanding what the teacher is trying to deliver. Maybe the PdPR approach is not interesting,” he said.

Previously, preschools, daycare centres, private kindergartens and kindergartens at private, international and expatriate institutions as well as development centres for children aged between four and six were allowed to operate under Phase 1 and 2 of the national recovery plan.

Permission was only given to children whose parents and guardians are working as frontliners or in essential services.

However, child education centres will be allowed to operate again under Phase 3 of the recovery plan. - FMT