GROUP 4 - ONLINE CLASSES

TOPIC: ONLINE CLASSES

ISSUE: INTERNET NETWORK
PROBLEM FACED BY B40 FAMILY
DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

PRACTICUM: L1T3
GROUP: 4

DE013 ENGLISH 1 2021/2022

NUR ‘AISYAH AINNA SOFEA BINTI NUR AINAA NADZIRAH
KARMILA BINTI MUHD SHAHARUDDIN BINTI ZAMRI
(MS2116175803)
FARID ARFIAN (MS2116175740)
(MS2116175777)

Background

On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic and as the outbreak
started, all employment sectors were mobilized to stop operating and they were asked to work from
home as we can cut the chain of the virus and it continues to these days. Such situation causes
business people to cease their business activities due to lack of capital and this situation also cause
the workers to lose their jobs. As day goes by, cases of infection show no sign of diminishing that
makes our government decided to continue with online learning that makes all the students safer at
home without being exposed to the viruses. Starting from that moment, all students were introduced
with Open and Distance Learning (ODL) which refers to the provision of flexible educational
opportunities in terms of access and multiple modes of knowledge acquisition. Therefore, in this
study, the aim is to emphasise on the challenges faced by the B40 parents to accept and implement the
online learning in their own home to ensure their children will still receive the education during the
Covid-19 pandemic. A few challenges also will be highlighted on the usage, value, risk barriers of
online learning as compared to traditional learning to be factors to influence the adoption of online
learning using the new technology.

Internet network problem faced by B40 family in Malaysia during pandemic of Covid-19 is highly cause by a
poor and inadequate situation that they have to face around implementation of the Movement Control
Order(MCO). Major challenge of online learning that rise in B40 students in Malaysia is the internet issue that
have always been a common complain since all students from primary to tertiary level started with online
learning which always requires them to always need an internet to join the classes each day. This is happening
because of some B40 parents lost their incomes due to Covid-19 pandemic which really affected the family to
provide an internet for their child who is in primary, secondary and tertiary level of students. Another matter
that appear regarding this internet issue is, some of the B40 family household such as a family that lives in the
rural villages such as in Sabah, Sarawak or aboriginal villages which is obviously have weakest internet network
connection and will cause difficulty to them to move perhaps around 6km or maybe more than 6km from home
to find an internet network connection so that they will be able to join the classes throughout the day. Not just
that, if they have found an internet network connection, there may be another circumstances which they don’t
have a place to camp out throughout the day or they won’t have the internet connection to join the online classes
that were held by teachers for all subjects during schooldays.

With that, the conclusion that we have is not all families could live in a silver spoon. Some of them may face
a difficulty that we can’t even expected. Some of the B40 parents are struggling in the way that we can’t even
imagine just to provide their child the best such as to provide with an internet and mobile device just so that
they able to attend the classes and just to make sure the child didn’t feel left out.

Recommendation

We have a lot of solution for this issue that can be
recommended to make sure that online learning process will
go smoothly until online classes are no longer required for all
students in Malaysia. Some of the solutions that can be
recommended is parents should take an action by working
harder during this pandemic with doing a multiple job so
that they can earn extra money.

Solutions

Strong internet network connections are a must for all students so that they were able to proceed with online
classes. Students nowadays should learn according to the evolution of the technology. It is quite impossible for them
to catch up on study if they do not have a proper internet connection at home or have any internet connection. A
solution that can be suggested for this problem is government should take action by giving out free internet for every
student as much as maybe around 40GB per month. Everyone is affected during this pandemic, so all the problem
that happen among citizens are a part of government settlement.

Group excellence will continue to a higher level, thus earning a good career. Therefore, the educational
performance of our country will increase and be on part with the educational standards in other countries. The
education of B40 students greatly influences the quantity of education in our country. Therefore, giving them these
technological items such as portable wifi will help them improve learning in their situation in this epidemic.
Moreover, with the convenience of fast internet plans, students will easily perform every task given by their teachers
and there is no barrier for them to find learning information on the internet. If this problem is solved with the
provision of technological goods and internet network facilities, B40 students will create excellence in their lives and
can even change their life history. Therefore, with the provision of technology products and internet network
facilities to B40 students, they will be no longer burdened with absenteeism and lack of students in the online
learning process.

The prediction that can be conclude throughout the issue, if government take
an early action in dealing with the covid-19 epidemic, all students can go back to
their normal life. What a normal life means is, they can go to school as they used
to before the pandemic started. Thus, all students can learn at an equal rate
amongst each other. No one will feel left out. Most of the students are struggling
emotionally in understanding the lesson because not having to see their teachers
face to face. Not having proper devices and internet access making the online
learning process even worse journey that must be gone through by them.
Nevertheless, online learning can be challenging where inability to access and
involve in online learning which involves students’ commitment and discipline,
specifically for vulnerable students who need communications that allows them to
reinforce their social skills.

All in all, by giving out free internet, the government could help in increasing
the spirit of learning at home among B40 students. Not forgotten, if parents work
harder to provide their child the best for online learning, it also can help to
increase students’ reputation in study and make them stay in a right track because
pandemic is not a matter for them anymore to study at home especially when they
all been provided with a suitable device.

Conclusion

In this matter, it is clearly shown that online learning is not an easy task to be
proceed for B40 family group to be proceed throughout the pandemic. So, it is very
important to highlight the issues faced by the parents in making sure that their children
will still be receiving the education they are supposed to receive at their level of
education. Educators such as teachers and lecturers are doing their learning institutions.
However, the issue is not really on the delivery of education but merely on the receiving
ends which has resulted in a huge debate among the parents in Malaysia. Having lack of
proper devices and internet access for online classes have resulted in most of the
education delivered by the educators and not well-received by their children. Most parents
are already given up not to mention the student themselves. Therefore, it is very important
to address this issue in order to make sure that the online learning process is a success
especially on the receiving end.

REFERENCES:

Dr Ng Siew Imm. (2021). More support needed for B40 families in online learning.
Retrieved from https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2021/04/679641/more-
support-needed-b40-families-online-learning
MCII. (2020). What is the B40 student experience after 6 months of MCO? MCII
speaks to the Malaysian Reserve. Retrieved from
https://mcii.org.my/2020/11/16/what-is-the-b40-student-experience-after-6-
months-of-mco-mcii-speaks-to-the-malaysian-reserve/

The End