AIZAWL: Seven undergraduate students of a remote village in south Mizoram’s Siaha district bordering Myanmar on Tuesday appeared for their online semester examinations from a hilltop due to poor internet connectivity in their hamlet.
The students, all from Mawhrei village, were compelled to trek 5 km on a jungle track to reach the Tlao-tla hill as there is no motorable road.
Compared to Mawhrei, the place has better Net connectivity.
The Mara Students Organisation (MSO) constructed a makeshift hut using timber, bamboo and plantain leaves to help the students appear for the exam.
They received the questions on email which they accessed through their smart phones.
Associate professor of Aizawl Government College, Rochamliana, said the problem of internet connectivity was everywhere in the state, including Aizawl.
“Whenever there is a power cut, internet connections provided by different service providers gets affected.
This creates a huge problem for students as well as teachers,” Rochamliana added.
He said a large number of students, including those belonging to the colleges in Aizawl, can’t afford quality smartphones.
Rochamliana added that the online semester examinations conducted by the Mizoram University for undergraduates and some professional courses were undertaken through email.
There was a suggestion that WhatsApp should be used from Thursday, he said.
He suggested that Mizoram University should develop its own software for conducting online classes and examinations.