MUHAMMAD AZFAR
In this modern era, technology use has become a basic issue in today's post-modern education. Even though the use of modern technology has been rampant all over our nation’s schools, rural schools have not been able to reap the full benefit of this advancement. Several “dark sides” of rural schools hamper the Ministry of Education's effort to modernise Malaysia’s education which will need to be addressed in the near future.
A school's physical environment can be described as its current condition. Parents shouldn't be concerned about their children's safety at school but rural schools have a number of drawbacks, one of which being a hazardous learning environment that may result in student and teacher fatalities. Datuk Dr. Yusof Yacob, the Sabah State Minister of Education and Innovation, provided data showing that 589 of the state's 1,296 schools are classified as obsolete schools. Nearly half (45%) of all the state's schools are included in this statistic! This illustrates that children as young as 7 years old have to put themselves at risk just to get a basic education. This runs directly against the "Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan" of developing intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy individuals. For example, some students use "flying fox" to cross obstacles on their way to school, which is viewed as a very critical scenario because it could endanger their life at any time.
Additionally, a perfect school must provide the bare minimum of facilities to allow students and teachers to work comfortably. Technology is increasingly being used in the sphere of education, as was noted in the first sentence. But did you know that most schools in the rural area lack advanced technology and are unable to give even the most basic facilities because of a lack of funding and the location of the schools. Ministry of Education (MOE) data as of 2019 also show that there are a total 633 primary and secondary schools categorised as “daif” or in a deplorable state. The physical and mental development of pupils as well as the holistic learning process are all impacted by a school's facilities. These have a mildly negative impact on the student's academic achievement. As data proves, there is a large difference between urban and rural schools' UPSR scores. In the UPSR examinations, the gap today between urban and rural students is almost 4 percentage points in favour of urban schools.
On the other hand, nowadays, learning in school can be enjoyable for the pupils. Additionally, because they interact with others frequently at school, students can also develop their social skills. The government should allot specialised funds in the national budget in order to sustain the school as a platform for guiding students' growth because the main cause of this occurring is the absence of allocation.
In conclusion, it is impossible to ignore the struggle for knowledge. Parents risk the lives of their children so that they can receive an education and have a chance at a brighter future.
The school should be a place that encourages in the development of the future leaders of the nation. There should be no prejudice in ensuring that education may be enjoyed by all pupils; all students deserve to receive an education that is efficient and comfortable. Rural schools, meanwhile, lag significantly behind those in larger areas. Basic facilities, the presence of teachers, and the atmosphere of the school are just a few examples of the evidence that bias exists.
The efficiency of the teaching and learning processes depends on basic facilities. Students and teachers can, to some extent, benefit from basic amenities like water, electricity, infrastructure, and so forth. Even in the post-digital era of education, all schools have access to internet services as a platform to ensure that instruction can proceed without disruption. However, students and teachers in urban schools are the only ones who can use this internet capability; those in rural schools must still wait till they may use it. However, a total of 10,214 schools under the Ministry of Education (MOE) had access to broadband speeds of 30 Mbps to 100 Mbps until today. Datuk Radzi Jidin, Senior Minister (Education), stated that 141 rural schools were provided with Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) lines at a speed of 30 Mbps beginning in March.
Next, the presence of teachers in both urban and rural schools then shows a clear bias against giving all pupils an excellent education. According to the digitization of education, schools in rural regions still lack qualified teachers, although the majority of teachers in urban schools are inventive in making the learning and teaching process interesting, especially in the subjects of science and mathematics. The problem of non-optional instructors teaching in non-specialization or non-optional professions is currently present across the nation due to a shortage of teachers in rural schools.1.9 percent, or 4,558 out of a total of 239,850, were non-optional primary school teachers, according to Deputy Education Minister II Datuk Chong Sin Woon, while 1.5 percent, or 3,458 out of 181,978, were secondary school teachers.
Other than that, the school environment also plays an important role in providing comfort to students and teachers. Under the letter S in the word "SEJAHTERA," one of the elements in the concept of "SEKOLAHKU SEJAHTERA" introduced by the Senior Minister of Education, Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin, is "Seronok (fun), Sihat (healthy), Selamat (safe)". However, did you know that the majority of schools in rural areas still do not meet that criteria? Compared to urban schools that seem more comfortable and safe, most rural schools have been categorised as "daif" or poor schools. Ministry of Education (MOE) data as of 2019 also show that there are a total 633 primary and secondary schools categorised as “daif”.
In order to demonstrate that there is no element of bias, particularly in the development of pupils between urban schools and rural schools, the goal of "education for all" highlighted by the former Minister of Education, Dr. Maszlee Malik, needs to be realised. Everyone has a right to an education free from restrictions or limitations because it is impossible to ignore the struggle for knowledge.
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