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A teacher in Kinabatangan, Sabah has turned his boat into a classroom to ensure that his students do not miss their lessons during the Movement Control Order (MCO)
As schools switched to teaching and learning at home (PdPR), 39-year-old Nasir Mohamed Jamal has made sure his students with no Internet access are not left behind.
Nasir, who hails from Padang Rengas, Perak, has been teaching Science, Physical Education, and Health Education in Sekolah Kebangsaan Desa Permai for over 10 years now.
In an interview with Bernama, Nasir said, “My colleagues and I take the initiative to send the PdPR modules by boat once or twice a week to the pupils.”
“This is because conducting PdPR is impossible since we do not have good Internet or broadband service.”
Image via Free Malaysia Today
Nasir rows a wooden boat along Sungai Kinabatangan to his students’ houses, equipped with the learning materials and a foldable table
Bernama reported that there is no jetty along the river for Nasir to get off the boat, so he has to be careful when manoeuvring in the shallow water along the riverbank when picking up his students.
Nasir would take their body temperature, as well as provide hand sanitiser and face masks, when his students get into the boat to begin their lesson.
SAYS reached out to Nasir and was told that he and his colleagues have been distributing printed homework to their students since online learning was implemented
He added that they might continue this effort until school reopens as it has been the most efficient and effective approach to ensuring students are learning.
Nasir told SAYS that this is an initiative that he and his colleagues came up with themselves and they are currently managing using their own pocket money.
“If not me and the other teachers, who else? As human beings, we’ll feel very sad when a student is left behind,” he said.
Image via Utusan Malaysia
Nasir also told SAYS that the students in his school need extra guidance because of the different mentality and way of life compared to students in the city, who have all kinds of gadgets at their fingertips
“If we just give up this effort, the students will definitely not get the work done,” he said.
According to Nasir, a large number of students do not want to further their education after primary school due to financial constraints and fear of going to boarding school in the city.
“So personally, I think it is very important for people to know that if you become a teacher only for money, you will definitely be stressed. But if you become a teacher to successfully educate a student, you will experience real satisfaction,” he told SAYS.
Nasir added, “People say that success is not measured by becoming a doctor or a lawyer but by someone who provides to the community regardless of their work.”