Students are shifting their mode of study to the digital platform.
(Source: Unsplash / Lucas Law)

SHAH ALAM – The widespread COVID-19 and the continuous Movement Control Order (MCO) has taken their toll on university students.

Since the implementation of the first nationwide MCO in March last year, university students have shifted their study mode virtually due to the closure of universities and restriction of physical classes.

Based on a survey carried out by Berita DIMENSi on the effects of COVID-19 towards the mental well-being of university students and online learning, 75.3% of the students agreed that they are among the most affected by COVID-19. Due to the absence of physical classes and lack of physical interactions among the students and lecturers, it is difficult for them to adapt to the new norm of education.

Sukinah Ya’cob, 22, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) student at Sunway College agreed and shared her thoughts on this matter.

“It is because we (students) are not mentally prepared to study online and most of the lecturers do not have any experience teaching online effectively using technology,” said Sukinah during an interview with Berita DIMENSi via email.

Infographic retrieved from recent surveys carried out by Berita DIMENSi.

The infographic shows most students answered home environments as the obstacle in keeping up with online classes. Tun Laila Tun Rafaee, 23, a final year law student at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) stated that she too faced the same problem.

“Some of the challenges I faced are the expectations from my family while I was having online classes. My family expects me to do house chores as they think online classes mean you just have to sit and listen to the lecturers while doing the dishes, running the washing machine, etc.

“I cannot keep track of the lecture if I were to multitask. So, my family sometimes gets annoyed and disappointed with me if I cannot help them with the house chores,” she added during the email interview with Berita DIMENSi.

Such situations could easily affect students’ mental well-being. In the recent surveys, a great number of respondents are having difficulties in keeping up with their studies online and finding themselves having some mental disturbances.

Based on the survey, the majority of students are having their online classes at home meanwhile only 4% of the students are staying at the campus and the remaining students are renting.

According to a media statement by the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) on April 26, students residing at the campus or rental house are permitted to return home for Eid celebration. However, there are some students who decided to stay and celebrate Eid at the campus.

Muhammad Azizi Hafiz Mat Zaki, 22, a final year information technology student at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) stated the reason he chose to stay at the campus was to take safety measure and did not want to take a risk travelling from a red zone.

Muhammad Azizi Hafiz in his Eid outfit in front of Kolej Perindu UiTM Shah Alam.
(Source: Muhammad Azizi Hafiz)

“We had a simple Eid celebration. We decorated the campus with pelita and we got to eat Eid traditional food such as lemang, lontong, satay, etc. We need to follow strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) therefore we were not allowed to eat or take photos together,” said Muhammad Azizi Hafiz.

During the email interview, Muhammad Azizi Hafiz expressed his sorrow for not being able to enjoy his final year due to COVID-19 and MCO. He urged other students to create memories during university years and try to be active. He also added that studying in physical classes is always better than online classes.

Today, the number of COVID-19 cases are rising and there is no guarantee that university students could continue their study normally. Although 89.3% of the respondents preferred physical classes rather than online classes, they need to keep on striving in balancing their studies and mental well-being.

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