VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Indonesia at the end of March 2020, the government has appealed to the community to limit activities outside the home by carrying out learning, working and worshiping activities at home. The home study policy was supported by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture with the issuance of Circular Number 4 of 2020 which contained the implementation of educational policies in the emergency period of the corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Ministry of Education and Culture also applies a temporary school closure policy and moves the teaching and learning process from school to home. With this policy, the entire teaching and learning process from teachers to students is done online.

For some Indonesian people, especially in urban areas, accessing the internet is not difficult. The internet has become a part of people's lives in this country. Recent research data from the Hootsuite content management service and the social media marketing agency We Are Social in a report titled "Digital 2020" says that currently, 64 percent of the total population in Indonesia has been connected to the internet.

However, what about people who live in rural or border areas who cannot access the internet because of the lack of available networks and limited fund?

Difficulties in organizing online learning activities were conveyed by Titis Kartikawati, a teacher in Sanggau, West Kalimantan, during  a virtual press conference entitled "Inspirations of Education Fighters during the Pandemic Period COVID-19" in Jakarta, Saturday (05/02/2020). She said that not all regions in Sanggau have internet networks because there are so many blank spots in the area. Besides, most parents work as farmers or vegetable traders, so buying internet quota is not their priority.

Teaching and learning activities during  COVID-19 pandemic are not only the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Culture, teachers, and parents, but also the responsibility of all levels of Indonesian society, including the media. Public television (TVRI) and radio (RRI), for example, are media that participate in broadcasting learning programs for students at home. This method helps teachers in delivering subject matter to students, especially for those living in remote areas who do not have internet access.

Hopefully, the obstacles encountered in carrying out teaching and learning activities will not dampen the enthusiasm of teachers and students and parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. In any case, both during the pandemic and normal conditions, teaching and learning activities must still be carried out.