In a statement, Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching said with only one Covid-19 green zone left in Peninsular Malaysia, home-based learning is inevitable.
The education ministry recently announced all students in primary and secondary schools are to stay at home and follow online classes from Jan 20.
The former deputy education minister said Putrajaya previously announced government-linked companies would contribute RM150 million for the provision of laptops to 150,000 students in 500 schools.
She said an education ministry survey involving 670,000 parents last year found 36.9% of some 900,000 students did not own any device to follow online lessons.
“To ensure home-based learning can be carried out effectively, the education ministry should explain to the parents especially those from B40 when these 150,000 laptops will be ready and distributed to the students.”
Teo also said students should be provided with both hard copies of textbooks on top of digital textbooks as many did not have access to digital devices.
“Even for those with digital devices, prolonged usage is not advisable for young children.
“Parents and students should be given the option to collect textbooks from school for their home-based learning.”
She said the ministry should realise there was no “one-size-fits-all” approach and must take into consideration differing income levels and digital gaps across the country.
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