Students manifesting displeasure of more online classes

By Nisha Ganasen

Nearly 5,000 Covid-19 infections in schools across Malaysia have been reported this year.

(Source: The Strait Times)

KUALA LUMPUR: Announcement on closure of schools and universities due to the surge in number of Covid 19 cases drew a mixed reaction from students.

While some think the move is in line with health guidelines, students worry about the long-term disruptions to their education.

As a student from the B40 community, Shantini Ramasamy worries about how the pandemic has affected her education.

“I have never failed to complete my online work, but without physical classes, I'm worried about the development of skills such as experimentation, exploration and creativity.”

“Some of my friends have dropped out of college and universities because they cannot cope with online education methods and also lack facilities in their house. Unable to finish their assignments on time, they experience anxiety,” she said.

Mahalechumi Letchumighandan, a 22-year old Raffles University student said, she does not have a proper environment at home to study and thought of going to campus to study but is afraid of jeopardizing her health.

Instagram poll result between education and health

(Source: Personal Archive)

As many students had mixed concerns between health and education, we reached out opinions on what students' biggest worry is.

More than 60 students voted on the Instagram poll and the result was that half thought education is the biggest worry, while the rest thought it is health.

According to a United Nations Children’s Fund December 2020 study, one in five children in low-cost flats in Kuala Lumpur had lost interest in their studies since the implementation of the movement control order.

“Luckily I had finished my SPM at the beginning of the year since it is really difficult to study in an unsure school situation at the same time dealing with fear of Covid 19,” said Tan Teck Jin, a SPM student of 2020.

He shared that because of the unsure school system teachers were rushing to finish the syllabus, while he did not understand past topics learned online and cannot discuss with friends because of SOPs.

“I’m praying for the day where everyone can enjoy their university life with friends and have physical classes on campus without worrying about spreading infections and SOPs,” said Tan.

After viewing this response we reach out for educators on this matter.

Taylor’s University School of Liberal Arts and Science, Psychology and Sociology senior lecturer Dr Wan Puspa Melati Wan Halim said that any students who have problems with their mental breakdown or anxiety should seek out their educators and explaining their problem will provide them many solutions.

“Sometimes swiping under the carpet would not be good in the long run, instead reaching out to their school or university counselors could help the person to identify the problem at an early stage and get the assistance needed,” she said.

Sathish Kumar Barathan, a teacher in secondary school said that in keeping students' motivation high, he usually allocated extra marks for those who actively participated in lectures.

“I make use of social media platforms to assist my students to learn better. For instance, every week, I will select two students to record video reflections of that week's lecture and upload it on the class Facebook page,” said Sathish.