KUCHING, Feb 20: Sarawak children’s education needs to be back on track as soon as possible especially in rural areas where learning are further restricted due to Covid-19 pandemic.
This is the view of Democratic Action Party (DAP) Bau branch chairman Granda Aing as he urged the relevant government agencies to come out with credible and holistic strategies to avoid the acceleration of education inequality in the state.
“The inaction of the government will widen the education inequality gap between children in urban and rural areas, and between the haves and have-nots.
“The government must also realise the prevailing danger if education inequality is not addressed comprehensively.
“The government must act now to put our children’s education back on track and to ensure that children in rural areas are not left behind, not only during this pandemic, but for the long term,” he said in a statement today.
Emphasising his point, Granda said schooling time has been disrupted due to prolonged closure of schools since the outbreak although it may seem as a logical solution to contain the spread of Coronavirus.
He pointed out that children in rural areas, in turn of this event, have fewer opportunities to learn from home as internet access and online classes are not available to them, unlike in the urban areas.
“It is every child’s right to have the fairest possible start in life, so that they can thrive and realise their potential.
“However for young children in rural areas, their life chances are disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic even before they start school.
“They will be more disadvantaged and left behind. Inequality is not inevitable, but for too many children it dictates their future,” said Granda. —DayakDaily
