India: Andhra Pradesh bans use of mobile phones for students, teachers in schools

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government has banned the use of mobile phones in schools across the state.

The school education department has issued orders prohibiting students from bringing mobile phones to the schools.

The department has also banned use of mobile phones by the teachers in classrooms. The teachers have been directed to deposit their cell phones with the headmaster before going to the classrooms.

The department said the ban has been imposed to ensure that there is no disruption to teaching.

Officials said that the action has been taken in accordance with the Global Education Monitoring Report of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The UN. body endorsed banning smartphones from schools. It noted that globally one in four countries has imposed such bans either as law or as a policy out of concern for data privacy, safety and child’s well-being.

The UNESCO warned against an uncritical rush toward embrace of digital products in educational settings, noting that “there is little robust evidence on digital technology’s added value in education” and that “a lot of the evidence comes from those trying to sell it”.

The school education department had already asked the teachers to stop using mobile phones in the classroom but the orders were not being followed strictly.

The ban on using mobile phones by teachers in the classrooms is a part of guidelines of the Education Department. With teachers using mobile phone during class, the students are forced to study and understand lessons on their own.