The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Mobile phone ban justifies city schools’ stand

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Wednesday, Jul 09, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Mobile phone ban justifies city schools’ stand

Staff Reporter

Several schools already have such a ban in place
School authorities point to potential for misuse

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A ban on mobile phones in schools up to higher secondary level was formally announced in the Assembly by Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Tuesday.

However, realising its potential for misuse, most of the city schools have a ban on mobile phones already in place, some of them from as early as four years ago.

“Using mobile phones and coming to school on two-wheelers have been totally banned for several years now,” said Mary Mathew, Principal, St. Thomas Higher Secondary School, Mukkolakkal. “Technology is often a double-edged sword and we want to make the students aware as to why they are restricted from using mobile phones on campus.”

Breaking the rule

But, there are occasions when students bring mobile phones to school disregarding the rule.

“On such occasions we confiscate the phone and inform the parents. The gadget will be returned only after the completion of the course,” said Jose Cyriac, Principal, St. Joseph Higher Secondary School.

Driving home the significance of the rule, the school, along with Carmel Girls Higher Secondary School, Vazhuthacad, mentions the directive in the school diary.

“We also conduct random check inside the bags of the students,” said Mr. Cyriac. According to him, a ban on mobile phones on campus helped minimise circulation of obscene pictures and messages among students to a great extent.

Safety argument

According to Sr. Renita, principal, Carmel GHSS, though nearly 95 per cent of the parents support the ban on mobile phones, there are a few students who defend its use citing safety reasons. “They often argue that the cell phone assist them in warding off potential stalkers while on their way to tuitions after school,” said Sr. Renita. “The students say that they feel safe when they talk into their mobile phones when strangers accost them on the way.”

Mathew Thengumpally, principal, Christ Nagar Senior Secondary School, Thiruvallom, feels that the mobile phone is totally unnecessary for students. More than its positive benefit, the gadget had a potential to be misused, he said.

At Cotton Hill Girls Higher Secondary School, Vazhuthacaud, teachers discourage students from bringing mobile phones to campus. “For emergency purposes, we rely on the coin-operated and land line facility available at school,” said K. Krishna Kumari, additional headmistress of the school.

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