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PETALING JAYA: Almost every day, for the past two weeks, Anis Arina Aqilah Roslee has been getting into her car and driving to the nearest village just so she could follow her online class.

The 23-year Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris student was left with no choice after the telecommunications tower in her village in Telupid, Sabah, was destroyed in a fire on March 25, cutting off the internet coverage in the area.

However, she is determined to continue with her studies, through distance learning which she has been doing since February 2020, even though it means moving from one village to another just to get online.

“I travel between 10km and 15km every day from Jalan Tawai to Entolibon so I can get internet connection,” she told FMT.

Yesterday, a video of Anis – the eldest of three siblings – following her online class as she sat in the boot of her car, went viral.

In the video, her lecturer is heard encouraging Anis not to give up despite the obstacles she has to endure.

Anis said she was touched that her lecturer understood her situation and had asked her to prioritise her safety.

“The lecturer told me that if I cannot make it for class, it is ok. My safety is of utmost importance, and they will help provide notes as they know I cannot access the website,” she said.

Anis said residents in her village had lodged a complaint with the authorities but were told that items needed to build a new transmission tower had to be brought in from West Malaysia.

However, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and a telecommunications company are trying to help provide internet coverage in the township.

“I hope the video I shared will benefit my district. Who knows, there might be wider internet coverage that could benefit some 30,000 residents,” she said.

Anis’ plight on lack of internet coverage in Sabah is not new.

Last year, Bernama reported that students at Wallace Bay on Pulau Sebatik in Tawau travelled 30km or 40 minutes by motorcycle to Sungai Tongkang just to find better internet connection for online lessons.

In 2020, Sabah student Veveonah Mosibin was propelled to fame after having posted a video on her YouTube channel about spending 24 hours up a tree in the jungle to get internet connection so she could sit for her exams online.