MCO May Be Over But Kids Still Need Content, Internet, And Devices To Continue Schooling

Some parents have decided to keep their kids at home for the rest of the year, while others have no choice because they need to get back to work themselves. Either way, everyone is understandably concerned about sending their kids back to the classroom.

While parents of younger kids wait for news on the reopening of schools, learning from home remains a daily struggle. 

Concerned about going back to school and struggling with schooling their kids from home, parents are stuck between a rock and hard place. What are they to do?

The initiative provides learning materials that are aligned with the Malaysian national school curriculum, and provides free data so that all students are able to continue schooling.

In addition to that, YTL Foundation also provided free phones to nominated families in the B40 community.

With content partners including Pelangi, Teach for Malaysia, and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the lessons uploaded help parents guide their kids so everyone has the opportunity to learn.

"My 11-year-old is on the autism spectrum and attends a small school that caters to individuals with special needs, while my 8-year-old attends sekolah kebangsaan. It's been a struggle homeschooling them because their needs are so different.

On top of that I have a 4-year-old who has daily online classes and learning material from her kindergarten that requires parents to help every step of the way. The chubby cherry on top is my clingy 1-year-old who's constantly up to no good haha."

Laila is not alone in feeling overwhelmed. According to the survey results, one of the key issues parents face is a lack of time. The vast majority are busy working from home, taking care of meals, caring for kids, and completing household chores.

This leaves little time (and extra frustrations) when it comes to online schooling.

"My main concern has been the lack of learning materials and lessons. While my children's teachers have really done their best to provide for the kids given the circumstances, there are definitely significant gaps in their education now.

One of the things I really appreciate about the Learn From Home Initiative is the amount of information, lesson plans, and activities available."

In addition to weekly lessons, kids can enjoy a bank of lessons in English, Maths, Science on the Learn From Home platform.

"With or without ADHD, I think it's pretty normal for anyone to be bored of worksheets that are just question after question after question. It's very monotonous and without a teacher to guide him, he often just zones out because he doesn't fully understand the material.

As much as I try to help him, I'm not a trained teacher and I often feel that I'm doing more harm than good. :( He gets stressed, I get stressed, in the end we both just want to give up."

"But the Learn From Home Initiative actually provides simple lesson plans that are easy-to-follow, educational, and FUN. It takes all the stress of planning away from me. My kiddos have been using it every day for around 30 minutes at a time and they actually enjoy it.

There are engaging videos, colourful infographics, illustrated worksheets, and more. Each lesson plan is laid out clearly for children to follow on their own, so busy parents like me are able to focus on other things while the kids can enjoy learning something new."

"Personally, I didn't go to school in Malaysia so I don't really know the national curriculum. Having the 'Learning Goals' clearly laid out at the beginning of each lesson made it so much easier for me to understand the material and help my kids.

The lessons can be completed within 15 minutes or so, then you can decide if you want to delve deeper, jump to another subject, or just take a break from studying."

The survey revealed that many parents are struggling to teach and many have difficulties understanding the national syllabus.

To counter this, every lesson comes with videos and notes that enable self-learning. That way parents can learn alongside their child. Plus, there's a supportive Learn From Home Facebook group where parents can ask real teachers from partner organisations for help and clarification.

"My 8-year-old loves the app the most. Even though it's revision questions, he thinks of it as a video game. Always so excited to answer more questions and perfect his score haha!

In between revision questions, the app automatically launches a game. It's a nice way for kids to take a break and play before getting back to work."

"Often I would have to stop working for an hour or so in order for my kids to use my office laptop for a class video call. It can be disruptive but we do what we have to. I can imagine how difficult it must be for families without these financial means."

In fact, the survey revealed there were families with no access to devices at all. To help those in need, YTL Foundation called on teachers, NGOs, elected representatives, community workers, and concerned individuals to nominate families in the B40 community. These families received free mobile phones, complete with a data plan, so their children can continue their education.

As part of the Learn From Home Initiative, parents can apply to YTL Foundation for free SIM cards with 40GB of data included to help students learn from home.

"My children are able to spend their time doing fun and educational activities that are in line with the national curriculum. Whatever happens with the reopening of schools, I'm happy that we still have this to support their learning for the rest of the year.

I think it's very comforting to know that if I don't have data, I can apply for it.  Same goes for families that need devices!  

While it doesn't replace schools entirely, it's definitely a welcome addition to our household."

FrogPlay Mobile is available on Google Play and App Store.