Walking through the wilderness to get better Internet connection is no hindrance to dreams of becoming a teacher

SIBU: It takes a two-hour walk through the wilderness for 21-year-old Frank Steward Panting Sa from Pakan to have better Internet reception to achieve his dream of becoming a teacher.

It is only up at Bukit Kelingkang that he gets sufficient bandwidth to attend his Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) interviews online.

In a Facebook video posted by older brother Mario Sa, Frank was seen sitting on a bemban mat in a makeshift hut built by his father Sa Ujom.

"He brought along the mat to sit on but his pants got wet during the interview due to heavy rain earlier.

"His legs were bitten by leeches but he persisted to follow the footsteps of others who had achieved success in their life," Borneo Post reported quoting Mario.

He said although their longhouse Rumah Suing in Teberu, Ulu Kemalih is equipped with the WiFi Sarawak Linking Urban, Rural and Nation (Saluran) network, the bandwidth could not support requirements for online interviews.

"It can be used for WhatsApp and Facebook as these applications require less data use.

"Such is the difficulty of network coverage in the rural area. We have to bear with it and at the same time hope relevant parties will help to resolve the problem," added Mario.

When contacted, Frank said the interview which took about 45 minutes was for Counselling, one of two subjects he had applied to study at UPSI.

He had attended a similar interview for a Moral subject at the same spot the previous week.

Apart from slower connection to the Internet, he said the interview went smoothly.

"The results are expected to be out in two weeks and I am 70% confident that I will pass the interviews," he said.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has been tasked to look into improving the Internet connectivity here.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the Internet network was provided by Sarawak Rural Broadband Network (SRBN) and the matter will be dealt with.

"I sympathise with what the student had to go through, yet impressed with his perseverance.

"I have instructed MCMC to liaise with SRBN so that this problem can be addressed," he said in a tweet Thursday (Feb 17).