The Ministry of Education last week issued a circular prohibiting students of government and approved private schools from bringing mobile phones to schools, and prohibiting teachers from using mobile phones in the classroom.
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| Parents should be vigilant about how their children use mobile phones. Teenagers should not be given expensive phones. Instead, give them money to make a phone call.” -
Dr. Ramya Amarasekara |
According to Education Ministry acting secretary S. U. Wijeratne, the circular was issued following the suicide of a student who was facing disciplinary action for bringing a mobile phone to school.
The ministry has also received a flood of complaints about students misusing mobile phone facilities on school premises.
Mobile phones are being seen as a major problem in national schools and semi-government schools, especially in the Western province. “We have had a lot of complaints about children using video cameras on their phones, sending text messages, and exchanging photos during school hours,” Mr. Wijeratne said.
Teachers who used mobile phones during school hours were a bad example to the students, he added. He also urged parents not to buy expensive phones for their children.
Ms. M. Abeygunasekara, principal of Girls’ High School, Kandy, said students should be allowed to use the schools’ telephone facilities only for emergencies.
Several private schools allow students to bring mobile phones to school, but the phones have to be deposited at a special counter and collected after school hours.
Disna Amaratunge, a teacher at a leading Colombo boys’ school, said mobile phones were a disturbance and a distraction in the classroom.
“We see Grade 9, 10 and 11 students bringing phones to school, and they disturb the whole class,” the teacher said.
Dr. Ramya Amarasekare, a mother of three, said parents should be vigilant about how their children used mobile phones. She felt that teenagers should not be given expensive phones.
“Instead of giving their children fancy phones, parents should give them money to make a call if there’s a need to call,” she said.
Mangalika Ranaweera, a parent, said schools should take responsibility for schoolchildren during school hours and inform parents in case of an emergency. “It would be a good idea if the senior students handed over their phones to security personnel at the school and collected the phones after school,” she said.
Jagath Wellawatte, chairman of the Child Protection Authority, said there have been reports of students watching and sending adult content through mobile phones. “The Education Ministry is considering taking stern action against parents or adults who buy SIM cards and give these to minors,” Mr. Wella-watte said.
Priyantha Kariyapperuma, director general of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, said that steps were being taken to set up more coin and card phone booths at schools and in close proximity to schools. |
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