TANAH MERAH: WITH a mosquito coil and a small fan beside her, Nurlieda Khaleeda Mohd Azmi calmly answers some examination questions under a tent erected atop a 20m-high hill. On her table is her laptop and a WiFi modem.
The hill, located just behind the 20-year-old's house in Kampung Bukit Petai Tujuh is the only location in her village with good Internet coverage.
Nurlieda studies medical laboratory technology at University of Malaya Medical Centre.
She is fine with her location despite having to put up with mosquitoes, leeches and possibly snakes disturbing her at the hilly forest area.
She said her village and five surrounding villages faced a common state problem of poor broadband and Internet coverage.
"This makes it hard for her and other students who need to attend online classes amid the pandemic.
The other five villages are Kampung Mengat, Degong, Che Nakaf, Jerangau Dalam and Jerangau Luar.
"I returned to my village in July and since then, I have been following online classes.
"Usually, I would need to travel 3km away from my village to receive better Internet coverage," she told Harian Metro at her home.
She said she would "attend" one or two hours of the online classes while she was in a car, as she had to venture further away from her village for better Internet reception.
Whenever there are online classes at night, her father or a younger sibling would accompany her in the car as they try to find better reception.
Nurlieda, the eldest of five siblings, said a few days before her examinations started on Nov 23, she began to worry about how she would record a live video of herself while taking the examination, which was a requirement by lecturers.
Her father, Mohd Azmi Ahmad, 48, previously placed a WiFi modem on a pole, which was set up behind the family home, but to no avail.
"I've been using the tent throughout my exams. We used extension cords so that I can connect my laptop and other items in the tent to an electricity supply.
"For one or two hours when the exam is running, I need to take a video of myself using my handphone, which I fasten on a tripod so my lecturer can see.
"I have taken three exam papers and everything has been running smoothly."
Her father said Nurlieda shared the same problem with his third child, Muhammad Amein Khalielee, 18, a Universiti Teknologi Mara student.
"He also needs the Internet to complete his assignments," he said.