CHENGETAI MURIMWA
IN BULAWAYO
Poor internet connectivity and exorbitant data costs have posed new challenges for students in rural and urban areas as universities roll out e-learning programmes, Business Times can report.
The government has imposed lockdown measures to curb the spread of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic which has claimed more than 1,400 lives since March last year.
Since the beginning of the year, some universities have been conducting online lessons, meaning students must submit assignments online via Google Classroom.
It is worse for students in rural areas where poor communication infrastructure has negatively impacted on those who should be participating in online lectures.
A letter from the Registrar’s Office at Great Zimbabwe University in Masvingo to students, seen by Business Times, advised them that in the event that the lockdown is further extended, students should prepare for online examinations and assessments which will be administered using Google Classroom platform.
“As such students are advised to identify in advance locations that have good network connectivity to enable them to write examinations without disruptions,” reads part of the letter.
But, there has been an outcry from the students.
“It is going to be very difficult for some of us to write these online examinations as we are in rural areas where connectivity is not stable. Even if we move to town we understand the internet connection has not been very good of late,” one student from Great Zimbabwe University who preferred anonymous told Business Times.
Another student at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Khulani Matambo, who stays in rural Plumtree, says she is having a torrid time in trying to submit assignments because of poor network coverage.
“It is very frustrating when you want to research and web pages do not open, if simple web pages cannot open imagine downloading or attaching files,” Matambo said.
She added that at times she has to walk kilometres to a place where there is better connectivity.
Another student John Mpofu said: “I stay in Gomoza deep in Lupane and network connection is very bad. Due to the lockdown I am not able to travel 68km to the nearest centre where I can get a good internet connection.”
“I have missed deadlines for assignments. Where I stay there is poor connection of telecommunication networks. Because of that I have failed to attend the zoom school sessions which require a good network to log in,” he said.
While most think the students in urban areas are benefiting from online lessons, some told The Business Times that data has become so expensive and most of them cannot afford it.
“The cost of data has become so exorbitant and at times it’s depleted while in a zoom session,” Michael Tembo from Great Zimbabwe University said.
The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical importance that telecommunications infrastructure plays in keeping businesses, governments, and societies connected and running.
Although the sector has been critical in keeping the global economy moving under the lockdown by providing business-critical connectivity, university students in the rural areas are feeling the heat of their inability to study on-line due to connectivity problems and the high cost of data.
Information Communication Technology minister Jenfan Muswere has said online learning platforms will ensure that education continues to happen while maintaining social distancing and safety for both the teachers and the students.
