LETTER: As a parent of three kids, I think the Education Ministry should really reconsider why the public are talking or complaining about teachers.
My eldest daughter is currently in Form 1 and she attends online classes everyday from 7am till 1pm.
In primary school, there are no online classes for a whole year. As parents, we are wondering about our kids not having classes for such a long time and without having to do their homework.
But, the teachers in secondary schools are brilliant. I would say they are very responsible and dedicated.
For example, they called up every parent if the kids do not join online classes or submit their homework.
They persuaded us that it is hard to start, but everything will work out in the end. They are right, and their class attendance reached 100 per cent.
The school posts the homework and sets the deadline for the kids to submit their homework. Every homework was marked and returned with comments.
However, for my two kids in primary school, the teacher posted videos and homework followed by the answer sheet. They did not check if the kids completed their homework.
Sometimes in a week, they might get 30 minutes to 1 hour of Google Meet with the teacher. The online teaching duration is also irregular.
Perhaps, this is the reason parents are complaining. Parents' main concern is not whether to close or open schools, it is to review whether the teachers are doing a good job or not.
If teachers are doing the same like their secondary school counterparts, to teach online is not an issue at all.
TAN LEE SING
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times