Teacher is paralyzed without internet connection

22 May 2019 becomes a big day for Indonesians. This very day some people who named themselves as "people power" make a big rally in the central city, Jakarta to protest for the result of the counting system for the presidential election. Unfortunately, it turns into a riot and many unexpected actions that claim lives. The condition was so scary.  Television airs the live report from Jakarta.

At the very day, I myself assist 40 teachers to learn how to develop a sound syllabus and effective lesson plans. To make the process run smoothly, I send the template of the syllabus and lesson plan via WhatsApp (WA). WA is one of the social media widely used by the teacher, I can say it is the most popular one amongst teachers. The reason for using WA is because it can send a document, pictures, and also videos without any sweat.

The process of sending the template does not go as I plan. The Communication and Information Ministry close the social media platforms and limited access to the internet service for three days (22, 23, and 24 May) to prevent people from sending hoax and other news that causes worse conditions in Jakarta and raises chaos in another province. This situation brings a new problem for me as a facilitator. I lose about 30 minutes to let the participant copy the template using a flash disk.

In one side, closing the media social to by the Communication and Information  Ministry to prevent chaos from arising can be accepted as a  temporary solution. Yet, it is unfair since not all users use social media to share fake information, hoax, or to provoke negative action. For teachers, social media is a media that can help them to communicate and share data.

The minister decided that he will put the social media down for three days. The effect that should be bear by the teacher is too big. In those days many teachers are in their process of uploading the result of the final test to the school website. Many teachers stay awake to wait for the signal to go stable. They wait and wait but, alas, until this article is written the signal is still very poor.

The Communication and Information Ministry is suggested to teach this nation to know how to take advantage of social media and internet existence. Teaching the nation by giving them limited access to social media platforms is not the answer. Many teachers get the direct impact of it such as waiting for day and night to upload the mark of the final semester.