Move to ban mobiles in schools fizzles out

PANJIM, MARCH 26
The State government was today non-committal on banning the use of mobile phones in the schools/higher secondary schools in the State, also on bringing an enactment for the purpose.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s Fatorda legislator Damodar Naik had tabled a private members resolution that the mobiles should be banned in schools and higher secondary schools and that necessary enactment may be carried out by the government.
“We have to decide how important the use of a mobile is,” he said adding “The ill effects of the use of mobile phones are seen everywhere.”  He said MMS scams have been the cause of several suicides by female students.
“Besides, he said, whenever the phone rings in the class it disturbs each and every student and the teacher. Even if the mobile is on silent mode it disturbs the fellow student next to the one using the phone,” he explained while trying to elucidate.
Even, he said, the teachers get calls in the class and go out to answer the same which also disturbs the class.
 Education Minister Atanasio Monseratte was quick to say that the Department of Education had issued a circular against use of mobile phones in the classrooms, but Naik said the government was shying away from its responsibility by not strictly enforcing the circular.
 “Based on the Ministry of Human Resource Department, the Director of Education has sent a circular to all schools and the higher secondary schools putting restrictions on use of mobiles in schools,” the minister said.
“The circular issued by the directorate was to avoid disturbance and the same is being followed by all the schools,” he said  “Many of the phones have also been confiscated by the headmasters.”.
However, he said the ban in campus will see opposition from parents as mobiles have become very important part of our life. “We can only ban mobiles in classes to avoid any disturbance,” he said.
Monseratte, however, suggested that the parent- teacher associations (PTAs) of individual schools can take a decision to ban mobiles in schools. He also said that parents should stop the trend of buying  mobiles for their children.
Countering this point Naik said that parents cannot be blamed as many a times the children get their mobiles from different sources. He cited the example of a girl in Panjim, where the parents came to know that their daughter was having a mobile phone for two years only when she was involved in some mishap.
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat also intervened saying the Department of Education has already issued the circular and that at PTA meetings the headmaster could be told to create awareness about the negative effects on use of mobiles.
Naik wanted the government to bring an amendment to the Education Act to ban mobiles in educational institutions. But the government was not fully committal. However, later with the assurance from Monserrate that they can together look into the issue, Naik withdrew the resolution.