“Colleges should offer Wi-Fi connections to their students,” says Ashutosh Shrestha, a plus two student studying in Campion College in Kupondole. His college has Wi-Fi connection which he uses to check important emails and also to search for any information, when the need to do so, arises. “However, the Wi-Fi connection is limited to the cyber room and the ground floor and students can connect to the Wi-Fi when in class,” shares Shrestha.[break]
Safalta Shrestha, a student in the foundation year of her Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA) course at The British College located in Thapathali, shares that Wi-Fi is a necessity in the campus because of the mechanism of submitting homework online. “In our college, we use the Orbund system to submit our homework, download notes and educational materials and for other academic purposes,” says Shrestha. “The computers in the lab might not always be vacant and with Wi-Fi connections, students can easily connect to the internet on their own devices in case they have to submit their assignments or download class notes,” she continues, adding, “We have Wi-Fi in our class rooms and college areas. In fact, it’s used in classrooms by teachers to teach us as well. They use the internet to give us information related to what is being taught.”
While the Wi-Fi connection is an advantage, making the facility available to students has both pros and cons. “There are instances when students misuse the Wi-Fi and use it for non-academic purposes, even during class,” Shrestha admits. However, she believes that the availability of Wi-Fi on campus makes life easier for students.
If there are several benefits to the education of students when Wi-Fi is provided on campus, there are quite a few disadvantages as well. One such demerit of Wi-Fi connection availability is obviously the use or misuse of Wi-Fi during classes. At a time when students are addicted to social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and online mobile gaming, there’s no doubt that one student or the other is diverting their attention away from the lectures and discussions in the classroom and instead using social networking sites or gaming online.
“I use Facebook in class and play Counter-Strike as well,” admits Yaman Maharjan, a first year student of Masters in Business Administration (MBA). Maharjan believes in giving his best during exam time and during class presentations but isn’t too keen on paying attention in class at other times.
“Once you have a mobile set in your hand and internet connection, it’s not possible to stop students from using it, be it in class or not,” says Shristi Shah, a fourth year student at Kathmandu Engineering College in Kalimati. “The only way to stop the misuse is to not let students take their mobile phones in class,” says Shah. She also believes that Wi-Fi connection is necessary in today’s time in college premises as it makes getting information on anything, academics or not, easier.
Prashidha Karki, a high school graduate from Global Academy, is also a supporter of Wi-Fi availability in colleges. However, he says that to ensure that it isn’t being misused, the college should take precautions. “Wi-Fi connectivity shouldn’t be available at all times, especially during class hours,” says Karki who finds the facility useful and has used it often during after-class hours.
Not only students, but teachers and college administration are also positive about the use of this facility. “In our college, we teach through Virtual Learning Experiences (VLE), which requires internet,” says Kiran Shakya, who is the Academic Administrator at The British College. “We provide our students Wi-Fi mainly for the purpose of submitting their assignments, and disseminating messages and announcements that the college has to make,” says Shakya who opines that since mobiles are in the hands of most of the people and being able to connect to Wi-Fi is a necessary standard of most mobile phones, people look for Wi-Fi almost everywhere. This is true for college areas as well. “Wi-Fi connections have become a matter of convenience for most people today,” he adds.
While Shakya is aware of the fact that making Wi-Fi connection available to students might also invite disturbances in the forms of social networking sites, he knows that no matter how strict the college is about students socializing online during class hours, this is something that isn’t unstoppable. Students will find a way. “However, as of yet, we haven’t had complaints from teachers regarding this matter in our college,” says Shakya.
Moving with the demands of the current times, most colleges in Kathmandu have offered Wi-Fi connection on campus to their students. It is definitely a perk that most students want in the college that they study, be it for aiding their academic learning or for killing time when things get boring in class.
Related story
NCC, ASCOL, Surkhet Campus into semis
