We’re back in another lockdown as we usher in a new year in 2021 and despite the good news of the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccine, we will still have to brace ourselves with the new wave of infections in Malaysia that broke the 4,000 mark in daily new cases.

Last year, millions of students had to stay home during the early measures of lockdown in the country. Classes only resumed in June but later the schools were ordered to close again in November 2020. Nevertheless, some students and teachers have gotten used with home-based learning via online platforms, but what about students from low-income families who cannot afford to have any devices or internet services at home? What about the students in the remote areas in Malaysia?

This will be the first part of my conversation and discussion on Children of the Lost Year, as part of my policy analysis and my attempt to understand the current situation of our education policy in the midst of the pandemic. In this episode, I speak to the former Education Minister and Simpang Renggam MP, Dr Maszlee Malik to share his views on this matter.