Russian student forced to go to 'great heights' to attend online classes - literally!
Alexei Dudoladov, student and popular blogger, is seen on a birch tree for better cellular network coverage in his remote Siberian village of Stankevichi, Russia November 13, 2020. Picture taken November 13, 2020
A student in Siberia is being forced to do the unthinkable to attend online classes. On usual days, Alexei Dudoladov climbs up a tree to get internet access in order to successfully attend his classes.
His climbs up a birch tree in the remote Siberian village every time he requires internet, Reuters reported.
The 21-year-old Alexei Dudoladov is a popular blogger and studies at the Omsk Institute of Water Transport, which is 2,225 kilometres east of Moscow. The student has pleaded with authorities for better internet coverage while sitting atop the snow-covered birch tree.
This plea has gone viral on TikTok, where it has gained over 1.9 million views. On Instagram, it has been seen over 56,000 times over the last week.
In his plea, Dudoladov told regional governor Alexander Burkov that his home internet lacks strength, forcing him to go to such extreme ends.
"I need to go into the forest 300 metres from the village and climb a birch tree that is eight-metres high... and I get on Zoom to speak to professors and prove that I am not skipping class for no reason," he told Reuters.
To counter the surge in COVID-19, Russian authorities have moved university classes online.
Over 80 per cent Russians regularly access and use the internet, but internet coverage in many far off places is rather non-existent.
According to RBC business daily, the Omsk region’s education ministry is preparing an individualised study plan for him, enabling him to study in Stankevichi.
Dudoladov claims he is dissatisfied with the reaction of authorities, and that officials had urged to find a stronger internet connection by the highway.
"I was put on an individual study plan, but do they (authorities) not care about other students from other universities," he on Instagram post on Monday.
"Why can people from the city use the internet in their apartments while villagers can only do so from highways, rooftops and trees”, he added.