In a written reply, education minister Radzi Jidin said 51.2% of the students surveyed blamed their stress on limited interaction with their teachers and classmates.

“Some were also stressed out due to the lack of guidance they received during classes,” he said, adding that the study was conducted between March and July 2020.

He was responding to a question from Mohd Salim Sharif (BN-Jempol) on the effectiveness of the PdPR programme.

In terms of effectiveness, the study found PdPR to be “average”, with 34.1% of students stating that they learned a lot more in school.

However, 49.7% of the students said they enjoyed the programme, while 57.5% said they were able to complete their assignments on time.

Last month, higher education minister Noraini Ahmad said a study conducted by the ministry found that 78.4% of varsity students surveyed were not stressed out by online lessons.