It shouldn’t cost students their lives to find internet access for online classes.
Three students went jungle trekking at night to find internet for their online classes and met with a horrible accident when a suspension bridge in their route collapsed in Kampung Gusi, Sabah last Monday (16 November).
“Three of the students are from SMK Ulu Sugut, Ranau. They tried to access the internet from specific parts of the suspension bridge,” said Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam in a statement recorded by Harian Metro. The minister added that he rushed to the village to assess the situation and will get an allocation from the Central Government to fix the bridge.” We hope the villagers will be patient while we try to solve this situation,” he said.
One of the students suffered a broken leg and was immediately admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu while another student suffered spinal injuries from the incident, as reported by the Daily Express. The suspension bridge is around 18 meters high from the river and is believed to be the only area in the vicinity that has internet access.
Unfortunately, not having any internet has become a norm for residents in this village. The students usually gather in that spot if they need internet access.
“The internet connection in Kampung Gusi is really bad. However, it is better at night in the suspension bridge area,” said Ratimin Kukunut, the Chairman of the Parents and Teachers Association (PIBG) of SMK Ulu Sugut. According to the villagers, all victims were in the middle of the bridge attending online classes before it suddenly collapsed.
These students just wanted to learn and they ended up getting hurt for it. There must be a more efficient way for education to reach these rural areas.
Also read: Sarawak Teacher Takes 22 Students On A 2-Hour Hike Just To Find Internet For Studies
