Technology is seen as an important challenge that may affect the successful

implementation of e-learning (Aldowah et al. 2018). In this era of technology, online

learning is considered as an important tool for learning, however we encounter
numbers of problems when using online platform for learning. We can divide the
technology challenges into Internet access challenge and digital devices challenge.
Lacking of Internet access and slow Internet connectivity are the first and foremost
challenges faced by the learners when dealing with online learning. In Malaysia, not
all the areas have equal access to the Internet especially in the rural areas and
therefore creates a ‘digital divide’ phenomenon. According to Warschauer (2011), the
digital divide refers to social stratification due to unequal ability to access, adapt, and
create knowledge via use of information and communication technologies (ICT). We
can see the gap through the survey from Malaysian Communications and Multimedia
Commission (2018) where urban users made up for 70.0% of Internet users, while
rural users only accounted for 30.0%. The unequal access to the Internet for the rural
learners has caused them to be outdated in terms of the knowledge of ICT and even
the lastest news from all over the world. Beside that, due to the limited funding
available and the expansion of the universal service projects to cover other
underserved communities and rural areas, funding and support would normally stop
after a stipulated time period, usually 5 to 10 years (Zukhairi, Huda & Nor Iadap
2017). Therefore, we can say that it is difficult or a low opportunity for the rural
areas’ learners to use Internet for online learning purpose although the government
has put a lot of efforts in this area.

Furthermore, internet access is not reliable, always facing challenges such as

slow internet or limited availability of internet (Mathew & Iloanya 2016) cause online
learning a barrier for pupils. World Bank Group (2018) stated that Malaysia has
slower download speeds than most advanced economies. In ASEAN region, in the
mobile Internet category, Malaysia’s Internet connection is slower compared to the
other less developed countries such as Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam. Most of the
youngsters nowadays own a mobile phone each and they mostly use mobile data to
access the Internet either for social networking or online learning thus slow mobile
Internet connection has less usage in online learning. When the demand is high and
the increase use of Internet, the slower the connection especially in this Movement
Control Order (MCO) period. All the learners use the Internet to attend courses or
classes, hand in their works, look for information, have a meeting and many more
resulting slower Internet connection. People in city enjoy faster Internet compared to
those who live in less developed areas where an English teacher from Kedah said that
he has tried using Google Meet but it was not easy and some parents even had to go
out to the main road to get Internet access (The Star 2020). Many of the learners do
are not provided with strong Internet connection thus they fail to catch up with the
online learning lesson.

Digital devices also play an important role in online learning session. In

Southeast Asia, many learners’ access to computers is limited to school-provided
computer labs (Nuurrianti 2020) and they do not have computers or laptops at home.
For some families, there is only one mobile phone for common uses. The children in
lower-income households are less likely to have a device at home with which they can
access the internet (Gong 2020). When the parents are out from home, the learners
will have no digital devices for them to carry out online learning. On the other hand,
the high cost of internet is another major challenge and many of the learners found the
affordability of internet as a major concern for online learning (Mathew & Iloanya
2016). According to a survey done by World Bank Group (2018), Malaysian
consumers pay more than consumers in most other ASEAN countries for similar
mobile and fixed broadband plans. Malaysian consumers have to pay US$1.18/GB
while Myanmar consumers have to pay only US$0.87/GB. The high rate plan and low
affordability is considered as a burden for the low income family and thus affects the
learners’ access to education.

21st century has now partly transformed from physical learning to online
learning where textbooks and learning materials are replaced with e-books, google
classroom, Quizizz and others. The teachers conduct their lessons and assign tasks as
well as provide feedback in the virtual classroom and this requires teachers to acquire
relevant technological skill to deliver the e-learning lessons. The learners faced
challenges when the teachers do not acquire enough pedagogical skill which includes
the strategies used to teach effectively. Mathew & Iloanya (2016) mentioned that
some lecturers also found it difficult to create formative tests on the learning
platforms used. This is because technology is changed rapidly and the teachers need
continuously update and courses to fill themselves up with all the old and new
learning platforms. Online learning is a non face to face learning where the teachers
have to adapt and adopt various teaching strategies to arouse the learners’ attention to
learn. Technophobia is another common case faced by the the teachers in schools.
Many of the elder teachers do not feel comfortable using ICT or computers while
younger teachers show more enthusiasm in using ICT. Some teachers have
technophobic tendencies because of their lack of computer experience, lack of ICT-
integration in the curricula and their perception of the usefulness of ICT-resources
(George & Ogunniyi 2016). When this situation happens, learners have less
opportunities to expose to more creative and innovative ways of online learning styles
therefore the school administration or the teachers themselves has to equip with all the
ICT skills needed.
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2020/03/27/coping-with-mco-
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https://www.mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/pdf/Internet-Users-
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students to study online amid COVID-19 pandemic, 17 March
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challenges-for-students-to-study-online-amid-covid-19-pandemic-133787 [15
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Anon. 2020. MCO: Impact of digital divide deepens with e-learning, 17 April
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