A student has taken to social media to lament the lack of WIFI access in the Kalinago Territory for studying in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Leah Mélinard is from the community and a student of the Lead Institute. She made a video of student’s plight and it has attracted wide attention since it was posted on various social media platforms.
It has even caught the attention of the CEO of Digicel, who according to Mélinard, has reached out to her after viewing the video.
“I wish to commend the CEO of Digicel Dominica for promptly reaching out to me to discuss the concerns that I raised,” she said on her Facebook page.
Since the passage of Hurricane Maria, the east coast of the island has been without WIFI access while several parts of the island, even remote areas, have been connected by the various telecommunication companies.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the government of Dominica has closed schools and mandated online learning for students across the island.
However, this has created a problem for hundreds of students who live in areas, such as the Kalinago Territory, where there is no WIFI connection and who have to depend on data packages which are very expensive.
“This is costly to our families who are already facing economic challenges,” Mélinard said in the video. “This to me is extremely unfair. While other students in Dominica have unlimited access to the internet, my friends and families are at a disadvantage yet again through no fault of theirs.”
It is unknown why the Kalinago Territory has not been connected to the telecommunication company’s WIFI network while other villages, which surround the area, have been hooked up.
Mélinard questioned whether this is a form of implicit systematic racism and said that it seems the service providers are refusing to invest in infrastructure in the Kalinago Territory “but willingly bleed out the last dollar from the veins of the most vulnerable.”
“Talk about glaring disparity,” she stated. “That’s despicable.”
She promised to write to the head of the telecommunication companies in Dominica and hopes she gets a positive response.
After hearing from the CEO of Digicel Dominica, Mélinard hopes the head of the other service provider will follow suit.
“This may be an indication of the company’s (Digicel) recognition that the lack of internet is a serious concern and/or maybe another reflection of the company’s stance on education. I trust that the other service provider will follow suit,” she wrote on her Facebook page.