PHOTO ESSAY | Online classes at an Orang Asli forest education hut
PHOTO ESSAY | As schools reopen this month with online classes, parents everywhere have had to scramble to ensure their children are connected. For some, the scramble is a 15km motorcycle journey on a lonely road, surrounded by thick oil palm forests.
Every day, Orang Asli children from the Jakun tribe leave their homes in Kampung Orang Asli Kemidak, Bekok, Johor and make their way to a makeshift wooden hut, made in a clearing in the middle of an oil palm estate.
The parents constructed the hut there as it is the only spot where their children can get a decent Internet connection.
When Malaysiakini visited the site, about 20 SK Kampung Dukung and SJKC Bekok students accompanied by their parents were there attending virtual lessons from their makeshift outdoor classroom.
Decent Internet connection at the hut allows students to access data-heavy applications like Google Meet but studying in the jungle can get uncomfortable.
The weather is unpredictable, the mosquitoes are vicious and there is always the possibility of wild animals disrupting lessons.
Despite the circumstances, Marina Jita insists her children resume their education.
“I want my child to be smart and not be like me.
“In my hand I hold oil palm fruit but I want my child to hold a pen in their hands in an office one day. I don’t want to see my child just hanging around like the other Orang Asli children,” said the 36-year-old.
Nineteen-year-old UiTM Segamat student Zarina Ramli admits she finds it hard to focus on her lessons while at the hut.
“Many people want to ask questions and my lecturer finds it hard to respond to everyone online. Before this, I could meet my lecturers face to face and ask them my questions personally,” she said when met.
