Poor Internet accessibility not new in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Cuepacs deputy chairman cum president of the Sabah Government Teachers Union, Hussin Basir, welcomes the announcement by the government to include more areas under the Jendela list for Sabah.

Despite this effort, Hussin called on the ministry concerned to look seriously on the needs of other parts of the state which are also in dire straits as daily news reports on the difficulties faced by parents in obtaining internet accessibility in the rural areas have become very common lately due to the study from home (PdPR) program initiated by the Education Ministry in view of the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Difficulties in obtaining internet accessibility isn’t new in Sabah and despite the various complaints by telecommunication companies’ customers all these years, this situation remains unresolved, he lamented.

Hussin in a statement yesterday pointed out that the most important basic requirement is to have a good internet line for this program to be beneficial to students lest they become victims of this pandemic.

Having good internet facilities, he said, must come with good hardware support, therefore the government should provide financial aids for families, especially those with many school-going children.

“We would like to suggest that the government identify and supply laptops or computers equipped with the necessary tools and software for these families. There is no other option but for the government to act on this.

“We are appreciative for the various assistances given to healthcare workers but it is time for us to also look into the needs of other important segment of the working community.

According to him, teachers union can play a very positive role by bringing the problems faced by parents to the authorities concerned.

Hussin further added that teachers are constantly putting the interest of students at heart by thinking of innovative ways to make learning online more interesting.

“During this pandemic, all parties need to adapt to the new normal of learning and teaching.

“This is the new normal and we need to take it as positive as we could in moving forward. We also understand that parents are also facing a hard time trying to discipline their children in adopting to the new normal of learning,” he said.

This, he opined, is all the more reason parents and teachers need to have a good working cooperation thereby easing the burden of parents who are not technologically savvy.

Hussin further added that there is a need to look seriously into the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendations on the time duration for surfing the internet.

For preschool it should not be more than one hour a day, primary school not more than two hours daily, lower secondary not more than three hours and for upper secondary, not more than four hours daily, he said.

“While teachers are back to school teaching students who will be taking government examinations, there is a need to tighten the SOP and both students as well as teachers must adhere strictly to the SOP to prevent any school cluster of Covid-19.

“The union is constantly reminding its members to always be aware of the fact that we bear a big responsibility to be good role models for our students and the community as a whole,” he said.