KUALA LUMPUR – The Perak Islamic Religious Department has appealed to mosques nationwide to provide free internet service for B40 Muslims in their congregation.
This is in order to assist them with their education during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In its sermon today, the department praised the Kariah Paroi Jaya in Seremban, Negri Sembilan, for providing free Wi-Fi for B40 students, as well as the Jamek Mosque in Kg Kuala Slim, Perak, for organising a similar programme.
“The efforts pioneered by these mosque committees are an example of a caring mosque committee that has stepped forward, offered services and helped the education programme for needy children to succeed.
“The real role of the mosque when it comes to education is very wide – it involves educating children on faith, morality, spirituality and cultivating their minds.”
The sermon called the efforts of these mosque committees an inspiration for other mosque and surau committees to emulate.
The sermon also commended the efforts of 58 mosques in Perak for providing free internet access to children of the congregation.
The state religious department also proposed four recommendations for mosques in Perak to help ensure the government’s learning and teaching from home initiative, or Pembelajaran dan Pengajaran dari Rumah (PdPR), is successful, which are for:
- Mosques and surau to identify children in the congregation who require gadgets, tablets or computers and internet access for home learning purposes;
- Mosques and surau provide free internet access and comfortable spaces for students to follow home-learning sessions;
- Mosques and surau to prepare a special fund for the public to contribute and ensure the success of home-learning sessions; and,
- Asking financially successful members of the public and private companies to step forward to contribute and assist in aiding students.
Nearly five million students and some 500,000 teachers have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent movement control orders, which have resulted in school closures nationwide.
In Perak alone, 367,662 students and 28,096 teachers involving 1,102 schools have been affected.
The government’s home-learning initiative requires good digital access and computers, tablets or gadgets before students can access education in the wake of the ongoing pandemic.
This has had an adverse impact in rural areas throughout the country, where students who lack internet access cannot attend their lessons or take part in examinations. – The Vibes, February 19, 2021
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