Kuala Lumpur: As we know, Malaysia is striving to develop the country with various world-class facilities that have been developed by the government. However, Malaysia is still in a low position, where internet access and telecommunications coverage are still weak and lagging behind other neighbouring countries. This shows that the various telecom packages offered by the government to the people in Malaysia are meaningless if they do not match the facilities offered.
In fact, many projects involving the internet had to be stopped or cancelled because internet access in Malaysia is still at a low level and cannot help in carrying out such projects. Problems like this need to be emphasised by the government because the use of the internet nowadays is more widespread and widely used in daily life, regardless of learning or work.
As we all know, our country was also affected by Coivd-19 and caused many employment sectors to be disrupted. School learning sessions are equally involved. Among the initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Education Malaysia is to conduct virtual learning sessions. This technique is not suitable for use in Malaysia because internet access in Malaysia is still weak. No need to look in the village area, there are areas around the city that still have internet access problems.
If we consider the issue of internet problems in rural and remote areas, this issue is even bigger. Most students living in rural areas are left behind a lot in learning sessions due to lack of internet access in residential areas. In fact, there are also teachers who face the same problem and have to cancel virtual learning sessions due to poor internet access.
Not only that, there are also students who have problems such as not having the appropriate learning tools. The main issue with this virtual learning technique is the lack of internet access. Not only students but there are also a handful of teachers who face the same technical problems with the internet. This technique can be practised more successfully if the government strives to gain access to internet coverage.
According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Monthly Bulletin report in August 2020, in terms of mobile broadband, Malaysia is ranked sixth in ASEAN countries at 24.44 Mbps and 85th in the world. Malaysia lags behind Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar in terms of average mobile internet download speeds. It’s even sadder when there are still areas that don’t have phone lines so they have to rush to other areas to make simple calls.
Teo Nie Ching, Member of Parliament for Kulai, in a debate in the Dewan Rakyat (Berita Harian, 2020) said 37% of students under the Ministry of Education do not have any device for online learning sessions. That number equates to 1.7 million students without a smartphone, tablet or computer, which is a prerequisite for their online learning. If the definition of ‘digitally poor’ is taken into account, 1.7 million primary and secondary school students automatically become part of this group and this is a very sad reality.
Just look at the issue that has gone viral in the past few months, where a student of a public university in Malaysia, was insulted by an instructor due to the lack of a complete learning tool, namely a laptop. The university should be more sensitive to students who belong to the B40 group and immediately provide them with financial assistance and learning tools to make it easier for students to undergo virtual classes more comfortably.
Malaysia is rapidly developing towards progress but still fails to provide basic needs to its people. In today’s digital era driven by the new normal of the COVID-19 pandemic, online transactions and interactions, including online learning, are no longer an option, but a necessity. In fact, on average, monthly telecommunication bills as a third utility are expensive for household needs when broadband access and telco service issues still need to be fixed.
The government needs to monitor every effort made. The Department of Statistics Malaysia (2020) reports that every year, the use of the Internet and digital devices by Malaysians continues to increase. This momentum is being positively considered as an opportunity for Malaysia to plan and implement stronger strategies to explore and leverage the digital economy. Malaysia is aware that the digital divide is still there, so it is implementing various strategies including providing a Community Internet Centre.
Since 2007, a total of 873 Community Internet Centres (PIKs) nationwide have provided access to the rural population. PIK offers training, awareness programs, and community engagement. It also provides information channels for various Government and private agencies, including helping the public sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine. The role of PIK became increasingly important during the COVID-19 pandemic, as new norms had to be adhered to in daily life.
A good effort by the government to provide internet centres in rural areas that have difficulty accessing the internet. However, through a series of tweets, some stated that if they go to the centres, some are too poor to be able to provide services to users who are present to use the services provided.
As a college student, having the internet is mandatory as this can make it easier for you to communicate with classmates and also lecturers. However, there is no denying that, at times, poor internet access makes it very difficult for me to be with lecturers for classes held virtually. The location of my house is not in the strange weird rural area, but very close to tourist attractions. So, who is to blame when internet access issues occur? And try to imagine people that live even far in the woods, and the difficulties they have to face with this issue.
Alhamdulillah, my lecturer, understood the technical problems I had to face. However, what about other lecturers who do not understand the situation of students like me? Is it the student’s fault for not being able to afford a more expensive internet package? So, when the lecturer’s internet was having a problem, was it the student’s fault for not being able to come to class physically? Or can we just agree that internet access in Malaysia is really weak?
The government needs to take action at a more immediate rate. The virtual learning method is a very useful technique at the moment, moreover, we are expected to be experiencing the Covid-19 wave again and this time faced by students studying in schools and universities.
Author:
Fathiah Ahmad
Postgraduate Student, UiTM, Shah Alam, Malaysia
