KUCHING, May 17: Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS) welcomes the announcement by Ministry of Education (MOE) on reforms in the Malaysian education system which will enable every teacher to spend their time educating or teaching optimally.
Its president Dr Angie Garet opined that the impact of Covid-19 has meant a huge learning loss for the children with Malaysia’s loss being estimated to be the highest in the region, after Myanmar, by the Asian Development Bank.
“As an organisation concerned for children’s well-being and having many mothers and teachers as members, we want to see concerted action by all parties, led by the MOE, to reach every child whose learning has been adversely affected by the pandemic.
“While the latest statement is a step in the right direction, so much more needs to be done to ensure no child is left behind and every child is given the help needed to restore confidence and ability after such a prolonged disruption to their education and social interactions,” she said in a statement today.
Yesterday, Senior Minister of Education Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Jidin when launching the national-level 51st Teachers’ Day 2022 celebration at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), announced that the MOE will improve several aspects of the country’s education system.
Among them was to ensure that the inefficiencies which occur in the structure of the school system can be addressed to ensure that every teacher can spend their time educating or teaching optimally.
Angie revealed that SWWS is a contributor to a report titled “Our Children’s Learning Loss: A Path to Post-Covid-19 School Recovery in Malaysia” which outlined various strategies to address the current challenges. The report is available on the National Early Childhood Intervention Council (NECIC) website.
“In Sarawak, given our terrain, we will have many children who were unable to follow classes online or reach their schools to collect work set by teachers.
“Even those who did have access have found it difficult to concentrate during online classes. Thus, is is essential we assess the needs of every pupil and every school so that the necessary resources can be put in place to support teachers helping each child recover,” she added.
She also urged the State authorities to discuss with the MOE in addressing the situation of the State, including that faced by children with disabilities and those without documentation. — DayakDaily
