Sarawak Teacher Organises Hike For Students & Parents Just To Get Good Internet Coverage

By Charmaine Shaharin  •  19 Nov 2020 in News

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If there’s one thing that most of us take for granted, it’s definitely the privilege of having a decent internet connection to aid us in our daily routines. However, for those living in rural Malaysia, like the case of Veveonah Mosibin, getting connected involves much physical endurance.

Recently, a dedicated teacher at SMK Lubok Antu took the initiative to organise a jungle trekking trip for a group of primary and secondary students from his village in Nanga Sumpa, and nearby Nanga Jambu in Lubok Antu, to get a good internet connection.

The teacher, Sambau Dugat, got the idea after witnessing students from his village hiking by themselves for good internet. This led to his organised trip which took 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach a spot with a signal.

According to the Borneo Post, the teacher had expressed that his village does not have good internet coverage, and how the internet is crucial for students for their studies, and that some of his students were already left behind due to the lack of internet.

“In this modern era, the internet is very crucial for students which is why they need to find places with good internet coverage, which in the case for the students from my area is very far away from home,” Sambau said.

“The Movement Control Order currently enforced in the country has not made it easier for us too. We could not really travel much to leave our village for the purpose of getting good internet coverage in other areas,” he continued.

The expedition which took place on Sunday after morning prayers included 14 primary school pupils and eight secondary school students. Students were also accompanied by their parents and some of them even brought extra food in addition to their laptops and devices.

The journey was not an easy one as there were no proper roads – only dense jungle paths and streams to cross to get to the destination. In fact, it took 45 minutes through the jungle, and another hour and 45 minutes uphill to get to where they could finally access the internet.

When asked if he would organise another expedition, he explained that he was not too sure as the journey is difficult.