Analysis of home-based teaching and learning challenges for secondary school students in Kampar Perak District, Malaysia

Following the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO), the Malaysian government suspended all activities within the country, including the closure of industrial sectors, restaurants, recreational centers, and educational institutions. The disruption of the education process in schools raised concerns among parents, students, and teachers The impact of the Covid-19 transmission and Movement Control Order (MCO) halted all face-to-face Teaching and Learning (T&L) processes in Malaysia starting from March 18 to June 30, 2020. In March 2021, all primary schools were reopened, and the same was done for secondary schools in April 2021 for face-to-face T&L. This did not last long because by the end of March 2021, the number of Covid-19 infections among school students had increased, and education clusters emerged, with 11 clusters in secondary schools, 10 clusters in pre-schools, and some in primary schools. This situation led to the closure of affected schools, and Home-Based Teaching and Learning had to be resumed. There are two objectives in this study. First, to analyze the problems and challenges faced by secondary school students during the Home-Based Teaching and Learning process. Second, to propose improvement actions to the government and parents in the event that online learning is required in the future. The study found that the challenges faced by secondary school students during Home-Based Teaching and Learning included issues with internet access, lack of suitable devices for learning, high internet data costs, uncomfortable learning environments at home, limited skills in handling assignments given by teachers, and a lack of understanding about the learning process.