KUALA LUMPUR – Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has called on the Education Ministry to address issues relating to plans for students sitting for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) exams and teachers to adapt to the current schooling session during the movement control order (MCO).
Nik Nazmi said that at present, there are two batches of SPM students to tend to – those from last year and this year.
“The work of teachers, which is never an easy job, will be more complicated now.
“They will have to manage double their usual load of exam classes, while adhering to the standard operating procedures (SOPs),” he said, adding that this is on top of delivering virtual lessons to students who are required to stay at home.
“Almost all states in Malaysia are under MCO or conditional MCO, except Sarawak and Perlis, which are under recovery MCO.
“For states under MCO, what the government via the Education Ministry is asking is for all exam students – and their teachers – to return to school,” he said in a statement today.
The government, he said, has yet to provide any indication that it is providing resources and support for teachers with these circumstances.
“This is especially for (teachers) who may be unfamiliar with the subjects they have to teach at exam level.”
He added there have been reports that non-exam secondary school students are losing interest in their online lessons.
“What is the ministry doing to help these students and their teachers? To reduce the risk of high incidences of dropouts when schools reopen?
“What support systems are being provided for teachers, students and parents to navigate the MCO and now emergency restrictions?
“Where are the hotlines, databases for lessons and assessments? Where are the virtual town halls to communicate with parents?” he asked, adding that these issues should have been addressed in the first few weeks of the pandemic in March last year.
He also questioned whether the government is making full use of tuition centres, individual tutors, online tuition providers and civil society groups to provide spaces for virtual learning for students from B40 families, who may not be able to follow online lessons at home. – The Vibes, January 16, 2021
