Poor Internet access a challenge for rural students

BATU KAWAN: Students in rural areas such as Kampung Pulau Aman, near here have voiced their concerns over the limited Internet access issues they face which can disrupt their learning process.

Hanis Syuhada Razali, 16, said home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) has become quite a challenge for students with limited Internet access.

“The Internet connection at my house which located about 200 metres from the Pulau Aman jetty is very limited and unstable… sometimes I have to walk out of my house just to get a better Internet connection.

“I also find it a bit difficult to concentrate compared to faceto-face learning. I hope that I will be able to stay focused and will not fall behind in my studies,” the Form Four student of Sekolah Menengah Sains Tun Syed Sheh Shahabuddin near Bukit Mertajam, Seberang Perai Tengah told reporters when met at her house, here yesterday.

The daughter of a school gardener also worried that online classes would affect her preparation for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination next year.

Nur Alea Soffiyyah Ahmad Hanif, 16, who does not have Internet connection in her home said she had to borrow her father's mobile phone to be used as a WiFi hotspot device.

“However, with the intermittent Internet connection, it can take up to two hours to just download a video sent by my teachers.

“There were several times when I was on Google Meet, my Internet suddenly got disconnected and I even had to go out to the main road to get better access,” said the daugther of a lorry driver, who is also the Form Four student at Sekolah Menengah Sains Tun Syed Sheh Shahabuddin.