Weak Mobile Internet Forces Kerala Student To Climb 'Rooftop' To Attend Digital Classes

Adversity during the coronavirus lockdown has made a college student climb and sit on the tiled roof of the house.

According to The Hindu, Namitha Narayana who is currently in the fifth semester of her BA English course was spotted sitting on the roof of her two-storey house at Areekkal, near Kottakkal in Kerala.

Onlookers were perplexed to notice the young woman balancing an umbrella with her books and her fingers fidgeting with the phone.

Namitha, a student of KMCT Arts and Science College, Kuttippuram reportedly found the rooftop of her home the only place with mobile signal was strong for mobile data to access her classes online.

"We tried all places in my house, including verandas and roofs. And finally, I got fairly good signal strength on the top of our two-storey house," she said.

Although she had tried different mobile networks, internet connectivity was a big challenge which made it difficult for her to attend the digital sessions as her classes began on Monday, June 1. The umbrella shielded her to get through both the rain and the sun.

Her parents understand the perks of such sessions and don't mind her breaking a few tiles. Instead, they reportedly propped up an iron ladder for her to climb atop the roof from the first-floor terrace.

"Rain is not an issue, but thunder and lightning are. Like me, there are many students without good connectivity. Several of them are trying out different alternatives," said Namitha on the problems faced by her friends.

Also Read: Kerala: Medical Fraternity Fears Community Transmission As COVID-19 Cases Without Source Link Emerge