KUALA LUMPUR : In less than a month after the launch of Education TV channel DidikTV KPM, various reactions have been received from the community about the Education Ministry’s (MOE) efforts to increase access to education nationwide.
As soon as it came on air, DidikTV KPM was bombarded with criticism at a teacher featured in one of its programmes, with some questioning MOE’s credibility in maintaining content quality.
Others questioned DidikTVs approach to the concept of edutainment, which seemed to stray further from the original purpose of the implementation of Education TV (TV Pendidikan).
Senior Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin recently said that DidikTV would continue even though schools will be fully reopened in April, its quality of content must be given priority to ensure that it remains relevant.
The content should be in line with the latest technology, and should also be monitored by a committee comprising those from outside and within the MOE to evaluate and provide views on improvements from time to time.
As DidikTV content is controlled by the MOE with presentation by expert teachers, there should be no quality issues in its content, said Associate Prof Dr Azlin Norhaini Mansor, chairman of the Centre for Leadership and Education Policy, Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
“I have watched several programmes on the channel and I found some to be very good, some were okay and some were less interesting. For me, this is normal, as the channel is still new and definitely faces many weaknesses and challenges,” she told Bernama recently.
“Of course, many people want to know what MOE’s goals are for DidikTV, especially for the next five to 10 years. Will it be a programme that will disappear once the Covid-19 pandemic eases?” she said.
She also said that if the channel is managed properly, it would be a medium that could narrow the achievement gap among students.
DidikTV can be an alternative for students who are unable to attend school due to illness, lack of access or living in rural areas, those who are unable to attend school due to poverty or dropouts or repeats that allow them to study at home and take private exams, she said.
“There are many benefits of the channel if implemented seriously because this can complement the role of parents in helping children understand what they are learning as well as helping teachers to learn from more expert teachers, and encourage students to manage their own learning by choosing which series to watch and to repeat episodes that they do not understand,” she said.
Sharing the sentiment was Prof Dr Ahmad Fauzi Mohd Ayub, lecturer at the Foundations of Education Department, Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) who said that DidikTV content should be improved from time to time to give a greater impact in strengthening the educational process.
He said there should be integration between students and teachers, with content and technology as well as good scriptwriting, so that the teaching process can be implemented perfectly.
“It is very important to choose teachers or personalities who can convey their knowledge effectively – not only will this make it easier for students to understand the subject but also will make DidikTV programmes good learning support material for students in the future.
“Therefore, there must be an interesting presentation of knowledge so that students will be easily attracted to the knowledge imparted… when it is interesting they will continue to watch and DidikTV will complement their learning when they are less proficient in one subject,” he said.
A similar view was also expressed by academician Dr Wan Zah Wan Ali who described DidikTV as not just educational but should also entertain and meet the needs of its audience.
Wan Zah said DidikTV should also be in line with the current needs of students, and should use the best approach to attract students in the city as well as interior areas.
“I remember Education TV around the 80s, where at that time where teachers tried to use it in teaching. When the schedule was prepared, the teacher said that the broadcast was not on time and a video recorder was provided, but other problems arose, such that the Education TV programmes at that time were not satisfactory,” Wan Zah said.
However Wan Zah said she was confident that the channel would be able to fulfil the wishes of educators where students are taught beyond books and syllabus.
DidikTV KPM was launched on Feb 17 by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to meet the needs of students from low-income families and those living in rural and remote areas facing lack of internet access and devices, particularly after the MOE implemented the home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) sessions during the Movement Control Order (MCO) 1.0 and 2.0.- Bernama