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How Local Education Institutions Strive in Pandemic Lockdown

Previously, we discussed the current climate in the education sector in a global lockdown. The varying degrees of incompetencies in technological infrastructure brought to remote students struggling and falling behind; lack of reliable internet in many parts of the country; students and staff being quarantined due to possible exposure to the virus; and teachers feeling overwhelmed and burnt out trying to adequately provide for their students. How do we get better from here? What needs to change to attain sustainable measures to withstand unprecedented challenges without going into a brink of another social hysteria?

The easy answer is the investment in technology and talent development. The crisis has emphasised the importance of online learning and digital skills, which notwithstanding the global efforts for digitalization, is still not as widely recognized and valued as learning in institutions— but not for long. Many developing nations like Malaysia recognize the need for technology investment that also encompasses the workforce too. Upskilling and reskilling measures are heavily taking place across every level in efforts to enhance digital literacy and adaptation in daily lives. 

Perhaps it is an opportune time to reassess and innovate examination and assessment approach to something which isn’t as time-sensitive as it is now. It is quite challenging to expect learners to sit in front of a screen for hours to replicate hours-long lectures in a classroom or lecture halls— institutions should empower educators to create online learning modules which are quality-sensitive, simple and also bite-sized for easy consumption across multi-gadget use. Oftentimes,  students would not necessarily expect highly-polished, recorded lectures that looked like TV documentaries.  Though there are a myriad of tools to keep lessons interesting  (as we explored here), students often prefer the experience of watching a lecture delivered in real-time, even if there was an occasional glitch.

The training of teachers and instructors to ensure their readiness to engage in digital learning must be addressed, and education and training providers have to revise teaching and learning models to make the best use of digital resources and tools. There shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all model to be implemented as there are crucial factors to be considered from one institution to another, let alone one country to another. For example, certain educational institutions organized special task force groups as additional support for faculty members to carry out business-as-usual duties in the face of the pandemic. Here, academic staff are involved in the remote-learning structuring, and even offer additional assistance like conducting one-on-one consultations (for academic staff and also fellow parents/guardians who are with younger students), and also providing resources like iPads and camera equipment to instructors who need them.

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance of research and education. It is evident now than ever for the dire need for a complete digitalized teaching process so it is flexible to switch between face-to-face sessions and remote learning. This pandemic provides new grounds for advancement in education such as exploring digital learning platforms, Edu-tech reform at the national level that is an integration of technology in the present education system. A multi-prolonged measure is necessary to manage the crisis and build a resilient national education system in the long term.