WITH seven school-going children and only limited devices to share among them, Halimah Ibrahim knows how quickly home-based learning can turn an ordinary household into a juggling act.
Should the haze force a prolonged return to Home-Based Teaching and Learning (PdPR), the 48-year-old mother said her children would have to take turns using available devices, particularly while their parents are at work.
Her family does not encourage the children to own personal devices before they reach a suitable age, making it impractical to provide one for every child.
“Since I have seven children who are still in school, they have to take turns using devices. They usually use them when their father or I return from work, which also allows us to monitor their usage,” she told Sarawak Tribune.
The possibility of another extended period of home-based learning has brought back memories of the COVID-19 pandemic for many families.
But this time, parents said the adjustment would be less daunting.
Halimah said her children and parents alike were now more familiar with online learning after being introduced to platforms such as Google Classroom during the pandemic.
“The platform for learning is already there, so there is no major problem in implementing it,” she said.
While technology and experience have made the transition easier, the demands of managing work, children and online classes have not disappeared.
For 29-year-old Magdolene Bajug, the challenge begins when work takes her away from home.
Although Internet access has so far been satisfactory, she sometimes has to leave her child with another caregiver while she is at work.
By the time she returns home, she must still find time to help with learning while managing more than one child.
“Sometimes I only have time to teach them after returning from work,” she said.
Similarly, Kamariah Sebli, 37, said having experience with PdPR meant her family was now better prepared should it be implemented again.
Her children already know how to use devices, join online classes and follow instructions from their teachers.
Yet experience has not necessarily made everything easier.
With several children following different schedules, classes and assignments, Kamariah said parents still had to divide their attention carefully.
“The biggest challenge is ensuring the children attend their classes and helping them when they face problems while managing other work and household responsibilities at the same time,” she said.
For these parents, preparation also goes beyond internet connections and devices.
With the haze affecting daily routines, outdoor activities have been put on hold while children are constantly reminded to drink plenty of water and remain indoors as much as possible.
All three parents said schools had also been keeping them informed through channels such as WhatsApp groups, allowing families to follow updates and prepare for changes to learning arrangements.
For now, however, parents have been given some breathing room.
The Sarawak Education Department (JPNS) has announced that all 591 schools in 10 districts previously closed due to the haze will resume normal operations tomorrow (Aug 24).
The reopening involves 509 primary schools with 107,590 pupils and 82 secondary schools with 89,733 students.
While schools are set to reopen, the latest haze episode has served as a reminder for families that online learning is no longer unfamiliar territory.
The systems may already be in place and the children may be more accustomed to learning through screens, but for parents, the real test remains the same — finding enough hours in the day to work, care for their children and make sure no child is left behind.
