Nabilah and her tent
IT was 12pm on Thursday and the sun was directly on top of our heads.
You can imagine the immense heat when my team and I were on our way back from giving food assistance to the people of Kampung Bukit Nyamuk here.
We stumbled upon a tent by the roadside in front of one of the village houses. There was a plastic table, a plastic chair and a girl sitting under the tent.
We stopped the car as we approached the tent. Apparently, the girl’s name is Nabilah and she was attending her science class.
According to her explanation, the internet connection outside her house, despite it being slow, is faster than the connection she gets inside her house.
Therefore, she had no choice but to sit under the scorching heat to attend her online classes. Truth be told, listening to Nabilah’s explanation made me feel sad but I was also amazed and in awe of her tremendous effort.
I took the opportunity to greet her teacher, Harizan Shamsudin, who was teaching science in high spirits.
Cikgu Izan, as she’s better known among her students, is a teacher at Sekolah Menengah Kahang and judging from the materials shown on the screen and her high-spirited voice, it seems that she is a very dedicated and passionate teacher.
I am sure that she was as shocked as Nabilah to suddenly hear my voice coming out from the speakers, but I wanted to let her know that I was amazed and happy looking at the efforts of both her and Nabilah.
I would like to congratulate Nabilah and her twin sister Nadia for their diligence in studying and attending their online classes.
I would also like to congratulate Cikgu Izan for her outstanding effort in teaching her online classes with high spirits.
I must also thank Nabilah and Nadia’s parents, whom I managed to chat for a few moments, for their countless support towards their daughters.
As I have posted on my social media platforms these past few weeks, my team and I have managed to work together with several telecommunication companies which have come and visited areas under the Parliament constituency of Simpang Renggam to identify areas that need better internet connectivity.
They are now working towards expanding the network connection in many areas, including Bukit Nyamuk.
My hope is that internet connectivity will improve very soon and that Nabilah and her sister Nadia, and many other children who are going through the same situation in other areas will be able to study more comfortably in the nearest future.
Dr Maszlee Malik is MP for Simpang Renggam and former education minister. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com