SMA and Telco license - Approved Already Or Not?
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sarawak, it became immediately apparent to all stakeholders - parents, students, educators, that the inability of schools to continue with face-to-face teaching will take a big toll on students and teachers alike. It also became apparent that our education system and the Sarawak government were completely unprepared and without the capability to effectively deal with the devastating effects of COVID-19 on the education of our children. It was not just the classroom lessons that had to be suspended but year-end major examinations in 2020 had to be postponed. Students who had register to start their primary one education in 2020 have not been able to be fully acquainted with their teachers and classmates until today. Students who entered primary one this year are in the same predicament.
Online learning and teaching was the obvious solution to education during the pandemic but the education system, families and the government were and still are ill-equipped for online teaching. Rural schools and rural students, particularly students from B40 families were the hardest hit. For rural schools, it was not just the problems with dilapidated school buildings and facilities but also the near total absence of internet connectivity. Coupled with the B40 families inability to afford computers and smart phones, the situation for many rural communities and families were really ground zero as far as education is concerned. There news reports about teachers, students and parents desperately combing jungles and hills to look for spots with good internet connectivity so that students can proceed with their studies.
https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/11/18/teacher-takes-students-parents-on-two-hour-jungle-trek-for-internet-in-lubok-antu/:CM Abang Johari, please tell us where we are now on this issue.
There was a collective sigh of relief from Sarawakians when in mid-May 2020 CM Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari announced that the MCMC had agreed to grant Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) a telco license to enable the Sarawak GPS government to provide internet services to the rural areas. He said he met the minister in charge of the MCMC and he (the minister) had agreed to grant Sarawak the license. The last time Abang Johari spoke on this matter was on the 20th Nov 2020. He said the government was working to set up a telco company within the next 2 years so as to be able to provide internet services to the rural areas of sarawak.
https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/sma-to-operate-rural-internet-services/
https://themalaysianreserve.com/2020/11/20/sarawak-plans-to-have-its-own-telco-in-two-years-time/
On the 24th Nov 2020, Cikgu Macky Joseph, President of the Sarawak Teachers Union issued a timely reminder, urging the authorities to make sure high-speed internet is easily accessible throughout the state as e-learning or online classes has become the new normal in education.
In a media statement carried by an online news portal he said, ‘ We must provide free internet access to enable all students, both rural and urban, to attend online classes as no child should be left behind in their education’.
It is now about 7 months since Abang Johari first mentioned the telco license and spoke about wanting to provide internet services to the rural areas. Sarawakian students are now 2 months into the new academic year 2021. Stakeholders in the education system in Sarawak - students, teachers and parents are anxiously waiting news about the latest developments on the telco license and the telco company that will provide internet services to the rural areas. The future of the students is critical to their families and to Sarawak. Face-to-face teaching is still an uncertain thing for now as the national COVID.19 vaccination plans does not include people below the age of 18 years. To further compound the problem, the date for the vaccination of able bodied people which group logically include all teachers has not been revealed. While the Sarawak government plans to complete its vaccination programme by august 2021, the uncertainty caused by the lack of clarity in the national vaccination plan brings no comfort to Sarawakians.
With this in mind, it will bring great relief and comfort to all the stakeholders in the education system in Sarawak if CM Abang Johari can give updates on what has transpired after the he last spoke on the matter in Nov 2020. Top leaders of the GPS government like DCM Tan Sri James Masing vehemently objected when Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) voluntarily installed broadband services in 5 rural schools in Kapit in order to bring relief to the teachers and students in those schools but he could not present a viable alternative.
https://www.newsarawaktribune.com.my/installation-of-broadband-services-in-schools-needs-permission/
CM Abang Johari, please tell us where we are now on this issue.
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