MPs complain about lack of internet for students

Sabah university student Veveonah Mosibin captured attention because she went up a tree to get a steady phone signal to sit her online examination paper.

KUALA LUMPUR: The agenda to empower national education, with an emphasis on online learning, was among the highlights of today’s Dewan Rakyat debate on the motion of thanks for the Royal Address.

Several MPs pointed out that there were many obstacles for people in rural areas to get Internet access during the Movement Control Order shutdown period, hence the need for the government to improve the facilities in line with its digitalisation agenda.

Mahdzir Khalid (BN-Padang Terap) proposed that the education and communications ministries work together to improve Internet access, especially in the rural and remote areas so that schoolchildren could easily communicate with their teachers.

“There are four education clusters in the country namely students in urban, semi-urban, rural and remote areas, where the remote cluster was the worst (in terms of Internet access). This refers not only to remote areas in Sabah and Sarawak but in the peninsula as well.

“This is to enable students at home to communicate with their teachers, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m sure there were students who failed to communicate online due to Internet access problems,” he said.

Anyi Ngau (GPS-Baram) said: “When schools were closed due to the MCO, the education ministry suggested having virtual learning sessions. But those in the remote areas have no Internet access. What will happen to schools in rural areas if, God forbid, there is another round of MCO?”

Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (BN-Pasir Salak) said that the government must focus on improving the quality of national education which in turn would provide a suitable workforce for the future.

“We are far behind compared to advanced countries in terms of technology and innovation. It is sad to note here that there is no invention by Malaysians which can be considered as an innovation.

“We are depending on other countries either for daily necessities or defence, and we even depend on outsiders for weapons,” he said.

Tajuddin also urged the government to expand the number of recipients for scholarship and other relevant assistance to allow for more Malaysians to further their studies.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting continues tomorrow. - FMT