This is the initiative of the Ministry of Education for schools to conduct Program Ziarah Cakna [school will identify students who belong to B40 family (asnaf) and those who lost their father (yatim). This has been an annual programme for my school which I witnessed it myself last year. It is just that teachers did not go to the student’s house to give the goodie pack (basic essential like cooking oil, flour, sugar, bee hoon, soy sauce etc. and duit raya). This year, it is different. The teachers have to go to the students’ homes to give the goodie pack and some of the teachers sent the students back as well because coincidentally, they have to go back for eid celebration (school holiday)].
All of the teachers are assigned to one student except those with administration post. They are assigned with two students. Unlike any other programme, this programme will include monitoring of the students’ academic performance as well. So, the assigned teacher would be the student’s mentor as well.
I know that it could be perceived as another additional task and responsibility to teachers but I think this would be a good move to create special bond between teacher and student. After all, education is all about human relation and highly depended on human interaction regardless of whatever tools available to enhance students learning experience. Nothing can replace a human being as a teacher no matter what! You cannot learn empathy through AI or a robot. It requires “human touch” to learn about being emphatic and how to be “human”.
(Note: The first picture was taken by me and thus for obvious reason, I wasn’t in the picture. I went to Felda Ulu Tebrau with Teacher Ita. The second picture shows Nadzirun’s house in Yong Peng. Ustaz Hazim (the one wearing batik shirt) was on the way to Malacca (his parents’ home) and he dropped by to send Nadzirun back as well as pay his family a visit. Kudos to all teachers of SABK Madrasah Alattas Johor)