Reyna (left) and Watson with one of their company vans equipped as a mobile Wifi Hotspot to help students access Internet to remotely attend their classes, in Santa Ana, California. — AFP
SANTA ANA, United States: A minivan with a WiFi router attached to the dashboard and a satellite antenna on the roof is helping 200 disadvantaged students in Santa Ana, close to Los Angeles, cope with the rigors of distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
“When the school district launched the new school year last month, some of the parents had challenges,” said Roman Reyna, who is overseeing the “WiFi on wheels” project launched by JFK Transportation, which organises school runs in the district.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Reyna (left) and Watson with one of their company vans equipped as a mobile Wifi Hotspot to help students access Internet to remotely attend their classes, in Santa Ana, California. — AFP
David Palencia from JFK helps Angel, 13, to connect his computer to the WiFi Hotspot provided by a parked van from JFK Transportation in order to follow his online classes, in Santa Ana, California. — AFP
Angel, 13, stands outside of his home trying to connect his computer to the WiFi Hotspot provided by a parked van from JFK Transportation in order to follow his online classes, in Santa Ana, California. — AFP
View from inside a van from JFK Transportation. As many US schools began the year with teaching online, Watson came up with the idea of equipping some of his vans with Internet relays and parking them at strategic points in the city where students with no Internet at home can stay on top of their school work. — AFP
Each van is able to connect some 200 students, and seven have already been deployed as part of the project. — AFP
Watson said financial negotiations are ongoing with the school district and the hope is to have a fleet of about 50 of the vehicles. — AFP
Angel, 13, stands outside of his home trying to connect his computer to the WiFi Hotspot provided by a parked van from JFK Transportation in order to follow his online classes, in Santa Ana, California. — AFP
For students like Angel, 13, the relay vans offer a chance to keep up with school work. — AFP
In Santa Ana, it is estimated that some 10,000 students do not have access to WiFi, said Sarmiento. — AFP
A van from JFK Transportation equipped as a mobile WiFi Hotspot in Santa Ana. A recent report estimated that 25% of students in California – about 1.5 million – did not have adequate Internet access or computing devices needed for distance learning. — AFP
The mobile WiFi Hotspot project has highlighted inequalities in a state that boasts the fifth-largest economy in the world and is home to Silicon Valley and some of the biggest tech companies. — AFP
Sarmiento said the city had been trying to create as many hotspots as possible, and initiatives such Watson’s had helped relieve the pressure. — AFP
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
