Parents must prioritise data usage for children, rather than lottery results

Dear Editor,

The idea of online school can be quite abysmal to some parents. They are somehow uninvited by this ‘new norm’ not realising how to monitor their expectations and manage the realities with the complexity of this online dilemma, but can we really blame parents for this big transition?

I believe some parents were expecting a crisp reopening of face-toface school this October, or perhaps some of them just felt like this idea of learning online meant an extended holiday for their children — completely forgetting that they also have an equal role to play in this word call education.

I was particularly taken aback by raving comments and posts on social media with parents charting this ‘new quest’ of schooling. Some parents who have to monitor toddlers with assignments over the phone find it completely hard because either they have to use their phones to listen to the next game draw or lottery draw, or simply prioritising children’s education over the next possibly exciting gossip.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I think parents should have leisure time, but something like education should not be secondary. It is then saying that even before education in COVID-19 times, some parents were not keen on participating in their children’s development.

I am exploring this perspective not as way of bashing parents — and, yes, there are other issues such as data and Internet connectivity that need to be distributed across the country equally and equitably especially for rural and grass root communities — but I would love that we start the approach the right way by allowing parents to recognise that this norm is all new for everyone, and prioritising data usage for lottery draws, instead of the education of children, should not be the decision. If we at least get the perspective right with attitudes, then I’m hopeful that would be the start of education with parental and personal responsibility.