KOTA KINABALU – Despite businesses reporting an increase of up to 40% in laptop and tablet sales as schools go online amid the pandemic, e-learning remains a challenge in Sabah, where many parents cannot afford to buy these devices.
“The cost to purchase internet data is also very high,” said Sabah PKR Youth information chief Razeef Rakimin in a statement.
“In fact, 1GB is not sufficient to make video calls for lessons conducted via Zoom or Google Meet.
“Parents are already financially burdened during this pandemic, with some of them having lost their source of income due to the movement control order (MCO).”
Compounding students’ woes is the poor internet coverage in many Sabah areas.
Razeef said the government should already have a mechanism in place to overcome such problems, as 10 months have passed since the MCO was first imposed.
“It seems like the government made decisions without discussing with educators.
“Making parents decide whether to send their children to school is also an immature move by the government.
“It is unfair to students and parents, as this forces them to choose between health and education.”
He urged Putrajaya to work with the opposition to resolve these problems.
“Don’t be arrogant. Put aside your political differences for a while and resolve this together, as it involves the education of our children.” – The Vibes, January 29, 2021
