Tamil Nadu: Schools lift ban on mobile phones

CHENNAI: Carrying mobile phones to schools is no longer a violation, since schools have realized that mobile phones are more of a necessity than a violation and that totally banning the gadget is not an ideal solution.
“The main reason why today’s children need mobile phones is for safety, because parents have become increasingly worried and want to stay in touch with their wards. Having said that, we also need to move with the times and accept that cell phone is a necessity,” said R Kala, principal of PS Higher Secondary School in Mylapore.
PS school along with Hari Shri Vidyalaya, Vael’s Vidyashram and Sri Sankara senior secondary school are few of the schools that allow children to bring cell phones, however, on conditions. The students must deposit their cell phones with their teachers or switch it off during class hours. Only students in higher secondary classes can bring cell phones.
“Parents who want to give cell phones to their children will have to give a request in writing to us, only then we will allow them to bring it to school,” said Gowri Sivashankar, principal of Chettinad Hari Shree Vidyalayam. However, she says, “They will have to deposit the gadgets with their class teachers during class hours. They cannot use it during class.”
Sishya school insists that as soon as children enter the campus, they deposit the gadgets either at the school office or with their class teachers and then take it at the end of the day.
C Bharathi Lakshmi, principal of Vaels International in Injambakkam, concurred to this method. “We have children coming from faraway places, they need cell phones, and we only allow select students to bring them on campus. This is, however, a relief to parents,” she said.
Poonam Kumar, a homemaker and mother of a 16-year-old recalled an incident when she panicked after she couldn’t reach her daughter after school hours due to a heavy downpour. “It was more than an hour and the school’s phones were also not working. I couldn’t even get a cab. But she finally returned with a friend. Later we [parents] got together and insisted the school authorities to allow cell phones. You can’t have only one landline for thousand children. safety matters the most,” she said.
However, there are schools that continue to stick to their no-cell phone policy to prevent any misuse or distraction of students. “We have school telephones that can be used during an emergency. And if we find any child carrying a cell phone we confiscate it and return it to his/her parents only at the end of the academic year,” said P Vijayalakshmi, principal of Chinmaya Vidyalaya Higher Secondary School.
Interestingly, Lady Andal Venkatasubba Rao Matriculation School in Chetpet, which earlier used to allow cell phones, has recently reintroduced the ban. “They get distracted and spend hours texting or on social media. We do not want to encourage such behaviour. A school, after all, is meant for studying,” said Mangala Jayachandran, director of special education of the school.
R.Dhinakaran, additional commissioner of police (North) too raised concerns. “In this age of social media, many children end up misuing and falling prey to online abuse. If not school they will use it during their travel time. It is advisable that they are not allowed to use this gadget,” he said.