By SL Khor

This is a very tough year, be it for teachers or the students, as they have to go through different stages of MCO.

To the teachers, it is a tremendous challenge. The same goes for students and their parents.

Every day, they have to listen attentively to the daily press briefings by health DG Dr Noor Hisham in order to find out which areas have new cases, especially in Klang Valley which is among the first places to reintroduce CMCO. People living in Klang Valley are under tremendous pressure, and schools there have to shut down.

But as teachers, we had to start returning from green zones to our schools in red zones to conduct online classes beginning June 8. either at home or school.

It never crossed my mind that online sale which I saw so often on Facebook could happen to me, albeit not selling any product by delivering lessons, as I had to do live videos in front of the camera for the students!

Unfortunately our education ministry has never considered the problem of teachers with Internet access or computer equipment. Online education requires fast and stable network. For someone who is subscribing to a post-paid mobile data package, the data that I have is only enough to meet the usual needs, while WiFi is not always available where I live. There was even one time I had to fork out my own money to purchase additional data in order to carry out an online class.

Many others have to buy new computers or data packages just to conduct online classes, and the education ministry has never bothered about our problem. They think that all teachers have unlimited data at home. We have no choice but to find our way to solve the problem.

As a teacher hailing from a different state, this is the ninth year I have been here alone in Selangor. Indeed I have sought every available opportunity to apply for a transfer, but such applications have gone unanswered. Many of my teacher friends have gone back to their hometowns. Even my two room mates got their applications approved in 2018, but not me!

I couldn't travel anywhere during the MCO months, and have to remain at home whenever there is class. I have to force myself to spend my lonely days inside a tiny room. As we are not allowed to cross district or state borders, I won't be able to go back to my hometown to see mom during the upcoming Deepavali break.

In the past I applied to go back to my hometown to teach mainly because I wanted to take care of my parents. Several years ago, my father was in a state of coma for over a month at hospital due to infection, but I could only travel home during the weekends to see him. One morning, I received a call from sister that my father had passed away. I had to drive alone for over 300km to my hometown to settle his funeral. I felt very guilty not being able to be by his side taking care of him. I also regretted not being able to give him a better life for his final years.

Several years now and I am still stuck here in Selangor, still unable to go back to my hometown. Each time I came back from a trip home, I would look forward to the next holiday to keep my aged mom company.

Unfortunately, following the announcement of one after another extension of the CMCO by the defense minister, outstation teachers like me are forced to bear the intolerable homesickness again.

Back home there are family members eagerly waiting for us to go back, but the MCO has kept us confined like rats stuck in a mousetrap. All we can do is to keep counting 14 days after 14 days, and this time, the CMCO is to be extended by 28 days!

As if that is not enough, the ministry has instructed us to remain in the vicinity of the school. We are like rats tied to a string. Why can't we conduct online classes from our hometowns?

I'm sure many outstation teachers are like me, beginning to feel depressed out of homesickness and loneliness, as we are barred from traveling out of our district and state.

Do you know we have absolutely no way to fight back? Many of us don't want to live outside our home states, and this is not I wanted, either. All I wanted was to just teach!

I never thought that being a teacher could be such miserable, I hope that the ministry has over and again ignored my applications for a transfer not because I am single. Should married teachers get the priority? Or should I quickly get someone to marry so that I can go home? The ministry appears to have overlooked the right of single teachers!

Even though we are not married, we still need to go home to see our aged parents before their time runs out.

I heard that many good teachers have opted to quit their teaching jobs because their applications for transfer to their hometowns have been rejected. This is actually a big loss for the education sector. Why do many schools keep lacking qualified teachers? I'm sure this has something to do with poor arrangements on the part of the education ministry.

The two transfer applications this year have been suspended due to MCO. I know they couldn't handle our applications, but did they know how we felt? The twice yearly transfers have been deferred over and again, and this year marks my ninth year in Selangor. Please, how long more do I have to keep waiting? Do you know how often I could go back to see my mom during the past nine years?

If teachers can conduct online classes during MCO, why can't the ministry handle transfer applications during these months? Do you know how many of us are forced to separate from our children, spouses and parents back home? Many of us have waited for many, many years, and are still patiently waiting for an opportunity to get transferred back to our hometowns.

YB minister, do you see our helplessness and anxiety? Please hearken to our calls. All we want is to just go home. Please, don't let us be disappointed again, and again.

A helpless and dejected teacher