PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The recent order of the Dehradun chief education officer Govind Ram Jaiswal banning the use of mobile phones by teachers during classes has evoked mixed responses, with teachers calling it contradictory and parents welcoming it while seeking strict implementation.
Jaiswal had stated in the recent order that complaints and inspections had revealed that in some schools teachers were using mobile phones unnecessarily during institutional hours, affecting the teaching-learning process. He ordered that teachers in all government, private and aided schools in the district shall not use mobile phones while teaching in class, except for extremely essential educational purposes, with violation liable to invite action.
Reacting to it, government school teacher Ankit Joshi of GIC Buranskhanda termed the order diplomatic and impractical. He said that smart classes have been started in most schools but many do not have Wi-Fi and teachers use their own mobile data to run them. “On the one hand, authorities ban phones in class and on the other, the Education department itself assigns tasks which can only be done through phone, including mandatory online training sessions. If they want real implementation, they should prohibit teachers fully from bringing phones to school and stop assigning phone-based tasks during school hours,” Joshi said. Other teachers echoed similar views.
However, parents’ bodies supported the order but questioned its enforceability.
National Association for Parents and Students Rights (NAPSR) president Arif Khan said the order should have come earlier as phone use by teachers during teaching adversely affects students. However, he said implementation will be the real challenge.
“In private schools, CCTV helps in monitoring, but in Government schools such facilities are not there. Issuing orders on paper is not enough,” Khan said, demanding regular surprise inspections to ensure compliance.
Parent Manju Upadhyay also welcomed the move. She said when students see teachers using phones in class, they too demand phones at home on the pretext of studies and get distracted. She urged the authorities to ensure strict enforcement.
