FAATUM Launches Online Educational Counseling
When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, governments around the world took serious action to prevent the spread of the virus. On March 13, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the movement control order (MCO) which included the suspension of classes and gatherings in all schools and universities.
In response, public universities such as the University of Malaya, the University of Science Malaysia, and University Putra Malaysia, and private universities have been conducting classes online, and introducing other online teaching methods. For example, professors and lecturers record videos about their courses and upload them to their university’s official online platform.
This is particularly beneficial for the students because they can watch at convenient times when computer access is available, and they can view and listen to the course material more than once, for full understanding. Students can submit their assignments in digital format, instead of the usual hard copy format.
The Malaysian government has also scheduled educational programs to be aired on the national broadcasting station Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) to ensure that students, especially those in rural areas that have limited internet access, have an alternative platform for learning effectively at home. The efforts of educators and the government have ensured that students’ right to learn is being protected and have also led the education field into a whole new digital era.
The Federation of Alumni Associations of Taiwan Universities, Malaysia (FAATUM) also reacted rapidly after the MCO was announced. It is providing online educational counseling sessions to assist students who would like to study in Taiwan. This is expected to be a new trend in the future, because of the popularity of internet technology, as well as the still current challenging situation brought about by COVID-19.