Pennywise Rips Your Arms Off, You Still Won’t Be Able to Wipe, So Keep Walking: Teaching During COVID-19 Lockdown

The current situation of global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has created an unprecedented situation which is sending shockwaves through the world of work including teaching. The Higher Education Ministry in Malaysia was fast in responding to lockdown by immediately shifting to online teaching platforms. The aim of this study is to determine the challenges faced by teachers in one tertiary institution in Sarawak, East Malaysia, which at present, is completely excluding face-to-face commu- nication. The qualitative data was obtained from eight university language teachers who were teaching online from home. Findings using thematic analysis revealed that teachers could overcome the challenges of online teaching with positive attitude, accessibility to telecommunication services and knowledge of online teaching, thus transforming education in Malaysia.