Thursday January 12, 2006
The great handphone-in-school debate
By KAREN CHAPMAN
PETALING JAYA: The Education Ministry's decision to lift the ban on handphones in schools from this year has generally caused an uproar.
Director General of Education Datuk Dr Ahamad Sipon cited the increasing number of students owning handphones due to cheaper service charges and handsets as the reason for lifting the ban.
"Basically, the Education Ministry does not want to prevent the usage of handphones in school. But their use by both teachers and students must be controlled so that the teaching and learning process is not disrupted," he said in a circular.
RING IT IN
Yim Pheng
"Let's not panic unnecessarily with the lifting of the ban. Let's see what happens first. If there are problems as a result of the directive, I am sure the Education Ministry can then review the situation.
"Schools should also have their own rules on the matter."
SMK La Salle (Petaling Jaya) principal A Rajenthran
“I welcome the ministry's lifting of the ban. We allowed students to bring their handphones last year for convenience and security reasons.
"Many parents want to be able to contact their children. They also want their children to be able to contact them in case of an emergency.
"We set up a process where students who want to bring their handphones can do so, but they have to first register with us.
"We cannot run away from the fact that handphones make things extremely convenient these days."
Parent Abu Kadir Abdullah, 49
"All of us in the family keep in touch with each other via handphones, so in this ICT (information and communication technology) age, having handphones will help us communicate faster better."
Parent K.K. Wong, 43
"In this day and age where both parents are busy working until late in the day they have to depend on the handphone to keep in touch with their children in school. It is no more just a gadget to show off, it has become a necessity.
Many parents can attest to the fact that it has helped them in their lives. School authorities should make sure students help us communicate faster and better."
CALL IT OFF
Parent V. Gunasekaran
"I am really scared for my daughter. Some IT savvy boys may take funny pictures of girls and circulate them through the MMS. The Ministry should have a rethink."
Senior assistant Mary Goh
“We have a strict ban on handphones. I really don't see a need for students to bring them to school. There are enough public telephones in school and if there is an emergency, they can always use the office telephone.
"Although we are very strict, and will confiscate the phones if we catch them with one, some still manage to sneak them into school. It's really not a good idea.
Principal Suzana Ahmad
"I am concerned because bringing handphones to school will distract students from concentrating on their studies.
"Students are here to learn but they may be unable to resist the urge to check their phones for messages every now and then.
"After teaching for many years in urban schools, I can tell you that children in these areas can be very sneaky and may put their phones on silent mode in class."
Teacher R. Usha
"I agree it is not a good move. I am worried about the impact on those who do not have handphones.
"Children from wealthier backgrounds may possess state-of-the-art phones while the poorer ones may have something simpler or none at all. This will cause jealousy and may even result in thefts.”
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