Govt to ban mobiles in school classrooms

MUMBAI: Schoolgoers fiddling with mobile phones cleverly concealed beneath desks and chairs may soon find themselves on the wrong side of the law. The Maharashtra government has decided to pass a resolution banning the use of cellphones in the classroom. "Students will not be allowed to carry mobiles to the classroom. If they carry cellphones to school, they can leave them outside the classroom in their bags,'' said school education minister Patangrao Kadam, adding that the order would be passed in the next couple of days. While many schools have banned cellphones on campus, some have found it difficult to enforce the rule. Others have tried more flexible rules, but to no avail. "The government order will support our case,'' said Avnita Bir, principal of R N Podar School in Santa Cruz, adding that parents would insist on the need for their children to carry mobiles to school so that they (parents) could keep track of their wards. "We tried being flexible, allowing children to carry cellphones to school but prohibiting them from using the mobiles. But they would invariably use them on campus. We started confiscating the phones from students who used them in school,'' said Bir. "But that too wasn't enough of a deterrent.'' Podar may extend the rule to include staff as well. "This means that we, too, will not use our mobiles during work hours,'' said Bir. Parents, and surprisingly even children, have welcomed the government's decision. Nita Row, parent of a student of Bombay International School at Babulnath, has not given either of her children a cellphone and doesn't intend to do so until they're out of school. "While many parents use mobiles as a leash to monitor their children, I find it totally unnecessary for a kid to carry a cellphone to school,'' said Row, adding that her ENT doctor had even warned her of the damage mobiles could cause to a child's ears. Savita Y, a Std X student of Fr Agnel Multipurpose School in Vashi, agrees with the government's decision to ban cellphones. "While some kids do bring cellphones to school, regular checks are carried out and those found with mobiles are detained,'' she said. Savita does not feel the need to use a mobile in school. "I think it's okay to use one while in college. But during school days, there's absolutely no need to do so,'' she added. "We have banned the use of cellphones in school. As parents have requested us to allow children to carry mobiles, we allow students to bring them to school. But they have to deposit the mobiles with the class teacher first thing in the morning,'' said Carl Laurie, principal of Christ Church School, Byculla. "But we still find some kids using them. In such cases, we invite the parents to discuss the matter.''