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4. Were there a lot of issues among students in

regards mental health during MCO and CMCO?

Esther Teo:

From Befrienders’ perspective, we have received calls from students. Generally
speaking, the students are locked in and weren’t able to meet their friends. They feel

lost and they missed their friends. They have to stay at home, and they need to cope
with both housework and homework. Some parents might not understand their
children’s situation. The child complained that even though she finished her

homework, her parents still not happy. Hence, they found it difficult to stay at home
during the MCO period. They want to go back to school.

Dr. Ahmad Rostam: In terms of technology, our younger generation (i.e. primary
school students, adolescents, university students) are more adaptive to the technology
as compared to us. I don’t think they have any problems to with using technology to

do their homework and coursework online. The pressure that they received is actually
from external sources.

Firstly, it is the loss of (social or) peer support that they would usually have when they
were able to go out of home. Secondly, it would be the expectation from their parents.

This is because most parents have their own expectation on how their children need
to behave. They have their expectations on how their children should do their
homework, the need for their children to follow their own schedules instead of letting

the children to plan on their own. So, this put a lot of pressure on their child. All these
caused a lot of stress to the children.