• The biggest challenge is the time difference, if there is a class at 08:30 in the morning in China, its 02:30 hours here in Zambia.
• The second biggest challenge is that Teachers pay attention to people who are learning in classrooms than those who are learning online.
• Students do not have any information on when they are likely to go back to China for Physical lessons.
Some Zambian students who have been studying in China but recently returned back home due to the Covid-19 pandemic say they are facing numerous challenges in attending online classes.
Speaking on behalf of other students, Cherel Simaubi told Money FM News in an interview that one of the major challenges being faced is the time difference between Zambia and China.
Ms. Simaubi, a third year Engineering Student, lamented that it has not been easy to follow the lessons because she and her fellow students have to be up by 02: 30 hours in the morning which is 08:30 hours in China in order to attend class at the same time with those who attend physical classes.
She stated that another challenge the students are facing is lectures pay more attention to people they can physically see than those attending online classes, therefore making it difficult to understand certain lessons.
Ms. Simaubi complained that this is also making it tough for those who are pursuing Engineering and Medicine because there are a lot of practical classes involved and they have already lost so many classes which they have to catch up with.
“The biggest challenge is the time difference, if we have a class at 08:30 in the morning in China, its 02:30 hours here in Zambia and we have to attend the class at the same time with people in China. So we have to be awake at 02:30 which is a really awkward time for class.”
“The second biggest challenge we have is that the Teachers pay attention to the people who are learning in classrooms than to us who are learning online. There are some people who remained at School, they learn from the classrooms. So the Teachers pay attention to those who they can physically see,” Ms. Simaubi lamented.
Meanwhile, Ms. Simuba said the students do not have any information on when they are likely to go back to China to continue with Physical lessons because both their School authorities and the Zambian government have not been giving them any feedback.
She appealed to government to help intervene in the matter and help provide the much needed information.
“We do not have any information yet on when we are likely to go back because the government always says that they have to get more information from the relevant authorities and we should keep in contact with the Schools, but when we contact the School we don’t get any feedback. So we don’t know where we are going to, we are just left in the dark.”
“My appeal to the government would be to inquire on our behalf when we are going to go back so that we are not left in the dark, it’s really difficult like this. It’s also difficult for us who are doing certain majors like Engineering and medicine because there are a lot of practical classes involved and we have already lost so many classes which we have to catch up with,” she said.