For B40 community, closed schools are not as simple as it seems

 

For middle-class families, having to take their children out of school may not seem like a major problem but for poorer families, schools are a place to provide their children with a safe environment and proper nutrition.

With the Education Ministry's abrupt announcement that all government schools will close effective tomorrow for the rest of the year, former education minister Maszlee Malik (above) expects B40 families to be hardest hit.

The Simpang Renggam MP hopes that the Education Ministry will not simply see the issue as an operational one but take proactive measures to cushion the impact for children from the most vulnerable families.

He pointed out that some 600,000 schoolchildren rely on the Supplementary Food Programme (RMT), which provides free food to children from poor families.

"What is the fate of 600,000 schoolchildren who rely on the RMT but won't be going to school?

"Does the Education Minister (Mohd Radzi Md Jidin) have a plan to help the more than half a million children from the poor and B40 communities who are reliant on the RMT?" Maszlee (photo) asked.

The year-end school break was supposed to start on Dec 19 until Jan 19.

However, Radzi today announced that schools will close effective tomorrow, more than a month than the original schedule.

This was in line with the government's decision to extend the conditional movement control order (MCO) across all of peninsular Malaysia, except for Pahang, Kelantan and Perlis.

Likewise, Maszlee said some 70,000 canteen workers will not see a whole month's worth of income with the closure of schools.

He said many of the canteen operators are also from the B40 community.

Even though schools will close earlier than planned, Radzi had said that lessons will still continue with home-based internet learning.

However, the digital gap is also affecting the B40 communities the most.

Malaysiakini previously highlighted how some school students are struggling with home-based learning as they cannot afford a laptop to get online. 

The government is cognisant of this and has taken measures under Budget 2021, including promising free credit for telecommunications services B40 community and also getting government-linked companies to sponsor some 150,000 laptops. 

However, these measures will only come into effect next year.

Maszlee pointed out that more than a third of school students do not have a laptop for learning via the internet.

"What is the alternative to ensure that this group does not fall behind their peers when online lessons are conducted?

"What about the poor and B40 families who not only cannot afford a laptop but also do not have internet at home?" he said in a statement.

Mohd Radzi Md Jidin

Furthermore, he said the one-day notice about school closure also means parents will need to take their children out of government boarding schools.

While this may seem like a simple task, Maszlee said travel cost is not something that B40 families take lightly.

"Why was such an important announcement done abruptly?

"What happens to the 2.4 million poor and B40 families that need to find the money for tickets and bear the travel cost in a short time?" he asked.

Maszlee appealed to the Education Ministry to address these issues.

Apart from the school closure, Radzi also announced that several examinations will be postponed.

The SPM examination was again postponed to Feb 22 from Jan 6 while the third semester of the STPM examination will begin on March 8 instead of March 1.

The expanded conditional MCO will take effect tomorrow and last for four weeks, until December 6.

The conditional MCO is aimed at curbing the ongoing third wave of Covid-19 which started in Sabah and rapidly spread across the country, fuelled by a state election that concluded on Sept 26. - Mkini