Students, teachers to oppose phone ban on campuses
Lahore College tried ban in 2007 but had to withdraw it.
LAHORE:
Teachers and students have voiced opposition to a Punjab Assembly resolution calling for a ban on the use of mobile phones in schools and colleges, saying any such legislation would be overbearing and an infringement of their freedoms.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, several teachers, however, conceded that there should be some restrictions on students using mobile phones on campuses as they were distracting.
Punjab Teachers Union President Allah Rakha Gujjar said teachers would strongly resist any move by the government to ban the use of mobile phones at educational institutions. “The mobile phone has become every person’s need and teachers are no exception,” he said
He said that restrictions on phone use by students should be considered, but added that they should be reasonable as many depended on it for various purposes. “For example, many students need the phone to tell their parents what time they need to be picked up from school,” he said.
A professor at Government Islamia College Civil Lines said that older students should be trusted to behave sensibly when it came to mobile phone use. “You can’t treat post-graduate students in universities like children and just ban phones,” he said. “This isn’t workable for post-graduate students. And there is no question that lecturers and professors will give up their phones when they are at work. They switch their phones off during class.”
A lecturer at the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) said that in 2007, the then vice chancellor had banned phones on campus, creating a lot of student unrest. “Students and parents protested that it denied them their rights. The decision had to be withdrawn. I think instead of banning phones teachers should teach students to use them sensibly,” she said.
Muhammad Adeel, an intermediate student, said his phone was his source of news and information about the outside world and an essential tool for every person in the modern world.
“You never know when something bad could happen here. If there is an emergency I can immediately tell my parents. I also get information immediately if there is a blast or procession or traffic jam somewhere,” he said.
A provincial legislator said that there was little prospect that the assembly would pass a law in this regard any time soon.
“So far only one bill, regarding money laundering, has been drafted based on a resolution. Even that law has not been presented in the assembly,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2012.
Teachers and students have voiced opposition to a Punjab Assembly resolution calling for a ban on the use of mobile phones in schools and colleges, saying any such legislation would be overbearing and an infringement of their freedoms.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, several teachers, however, conceded that there should be some restrictions on students using mobile phones on campuses as they were distracting.
Punjab Teachers Union President Allah Rakha Gujjar said teachers would strongly resist any move by the government to ban the use of mobile phones at educational institutions. “The mobile phone has become every person’s need and teachers are no exception,” he said
He said that restrictions on phone use by students should be considered, but added that they should be reasonable as many depended on it for various purposes. “For example, many students need the phone to tell their parents what time they need to be picked up from school,” he said.
A professor at Government Islamia College Civil Lines said that older students should be trusted to behave sensibly when it came to mobile phone use. “You can’t treat post-graduate students in universities like children and just ban phones,” he said. “This isn’t workable for post-graduate students. And there is no question that lecturers and professors will give up their phones when they are at work. They switch their phones off during class.”
A lecturer at the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) said that in 2007, the then vice chancellor had banned phones on campus, creating a lot of student unrest. “Students and parents protested that it denied them their rights. The decision had to be withdrawn. I think instead of banning phones teachers should teach students to use them sensibly,” she said.
Muhammad Adeel, an intermediate student, said his phone was his source of news and information about the outside world and an essential tool for every person in the modern world.
“You never know when something bad could happen here. If there is an emergency I can immediately tell my parents. I also get information immediately if there is a blast or procession or traffic jam somewhere,” he said.
A provincial legislator said that there was little prospect that the assembly would pass a law in this regard any time soon.
“So far only one bill, regarding money laundering, has been drafted based on a resolution. Even that law has not been presented in the assembly,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2012.