Vandalism hampers Wi-Fi expansion at Evelyn Hone College

Students at Evelyn Hone College continue to […]

Students at Evelyn Hone College continue to face unstable internet connectivity in their hostels, with efforts to improve coverage being affected by vandalism of Wi-Fi infrastructure, according to Student Union Secretary General Felix Katukumo.

Katukumo told Zambian Business Times-ZBT that management had made efforts to extend Wi-Fi coverage to the hostels, but some of the infrastructure installed was later vandalised.

He said the situation had made it difficult to expand the service to more student accommodation areas, despite the growing need for reliable internet access among students.

“Management had started to do so, but just after some time, vandalism was done to the same,” Katukumo said.

He said the students’ leadership had been engaging students on the importance of protecting college infrastructure.

“From the student side, we’ve been trying to inculcate the attitude of protecting the facilities,” he said.

Katukumo said management had consequently raised concerns about continuing to install Wi-Fi infrastructure when some students were damaging the facilities.

The connectivity concerns were further highlighted by a recent disruption to the college’s eduroam Wi-Fi service.

Katukumo said the disruption occurred during the holiday period and was resolved by the Information Technology department last week.

“The disruption was there, but it’s been rectified,” he said.

He said students who have registered can now obtain their Wi-Fi passwords through their student portals and access the service.

However, the restoration of the service has not completely resolved connectivity concerns across the campus.

Katukumo said the network remains unstable in some areas, particularly the student hostels, while connectivity is stronger in the main building and library.

“The network is not so stable, especially if you are at the hostels,” he said.

He said improving Wi-Fi access in the hostels would require continued investment in infrastructure, alongside greater responsibility from students to safeguard the facilities.

Article by Karen Ngulube.