adminA CELLPHONE is a gadget that was originally designed to make communication easier and more efficient but like all inventions made for the good of mankind, it can be abused to do bad.
Over the years, the cellphone has evolved from being just a small wireless device that has at least the same functions as a standard wired telephone to become more of a multimedia device where one cannot only make calls but also browse the internet, download files, take pictures, videos and even sound bites.
It has become so much more than a communication device, turning into a mobile, portable computer of some sorts. Its evolvement has seen it also having some role in the education sector — be it negative or positive — where students can research easily on their studied topics, this unlike the previous circumstances where they heavily relied on hard copy library books.
Educationists have emerged to tackle the debate on the impact of the cellphones on the education standards. Whether they should be banned totally from the school set up or whether the gadget is a huge part of modern technology remains a dilemma.
Last week, this debate was once again raised after Townsend High School officials conducted a controversial auction of cellphones, which they had confiscated from pupils. This saw phones being sold for as little as $15, with the most expensive going for $20. School authorities confiscated the gadgets from pupils and when parents tried to recover them from the school offices they were required to pay a fine of $50.
The move attracted a lot of debate with some parents expressing disgust at the move by the school, saying it was open to abuse as there was no proof on the number of mobile phones that were confiscated and those that were sold.
However, the matter took a dramatic turn with some of the parents who bought the mobile phones at these paltry prices revealing that they discovered pornographic material in most of the phones which they purchased.
This reminisced past events when our sister paper B-Metro wrote a story where students from Ihlathi High School took nude pictures and distributed them via the social media using their cellphones. There was also the video of Milton High School students seemingly bullying a fellow student, not to mention another video of teenagers from two of Bulawayo’s elite schools engaging in sexual intercourse. All these vices capture a generation that has become more reliant on the cellphone for their day-to-day operation, this ranging from simple communication, to research, right up to entertainment.
Gone are the days when a mobile phone used to be a symbol of wealth and prosperity, when children were the last people expected to have the gadget. Nowadays it has become a common feature among every child, with almost everyone possessing the once hard-to-get gadget; at schools it has now become a common scenario to see schoolchildren competing with their teachers in terms of who possesses the best phone.
Schoolchildren have now been introduced to the famed search engines such as google.com, to an extent that even during lessons you find them googling their assignments.
However, parents and educationists have raised uproar over the issue of children being allowed to have their mobile phones during lessons, with the bone of contention being the fact that these children end up abusing the facility by viewing x-rated sites while in some cases they are said to be using the gadget right in the middle of lessons this thereby obstructing the learning process.
However, as this argument lingers, the question is who really is to blame: the parents who purchase the cellphones for their children, the educationists who allow children to have these during learning hours or the children themselves who abuse a gadget that is meant for their own good?
Now, in this rapidly expanding market, some major networks are about to adopt a range of “kiddie-phones” designed for children as young as four, with claims that its handsets are safer and smarter. But does this worsen or improve the education system? On top of all this are the health effects of the cellphone.
According to a British newspaper, a study by researchers at Örebro University Hospital in Sweden last year indicated that children may be five times more likely to get brain cancer if they use mobile phones. Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, a leading Australian psychologist, called parents who allow young children to use mobile phones “insane”.
Dr Carr-Gregg, a University of Melbourne professor of paediatrics, is worried about the power of mobile phones to distract and overexcite. According to a survey conducted by Dr Carr-Gregg, 40 percent of children with mobile phones are sleep deprived on school nights, as peer pressure has made it normal for children of 6 and 7 years to stay up until the early hours texting friends.
His evidence, revealed in a series of Australian academic seminars, suggests that millions of children are allowed mobile phones in their bedrooms, creating a generation of overtired “zombies”.
Other new research has linked sleep deprivation in children with hyperactivity symptoms and hormone imbalances that increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. However, despite all this hype on the effects of a child’s learning implications, cellphone companies have used the children and teens as a huge demographic for mobile phone makers and providers.
Mobile phones have become accessories that rival the status of designer clothing. With each year, the pressure increases for parents to meet their teens’ demands, but at the end of the day the priority of cellphone makers and providers is to cash in on a huge market. Although they are highly useful and increase one’s efficiency at work, the many demerits of the cellular phone are now taking the limelight.
The hot topic of the day is the use of these cellphones in educational institutions. Many educators find it a nuisance to find students in their classroom possessing mobile phones. Educational institutions also have started prohibiting the use of these phones within their campuses. However, as every coin has two sides, even cellphones have their own merits and demerits.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Dr Lazarus Dokora said his Ministry’s stance was that schools should allow pupils to bring cellphones and other mobile devices to class as they had since evolved to becoming an important part of the education curriculum.
He said people should simply accept that they were living in a modern era, which is largely inclined towards technological advancement.
“One thing that we have to accept is that we are living in an era which is fast evolving due to all these new technologies. If we don’t allow our learners to utilise these gadgets we are thus isolating them from the rest of the world. It is rather archaic for us to try to stop the pupils from having these devices because they also go a long way in assisting them in their everyday learning as they would be in touch with what is happening around the world,” said Minister Dokora.
He said allowing pupils to use cellphones and other mobile devices also prepared them for their time at university, where these gadgets play an integral role.
“These pupils should not be caught by surprise when they get to university and are introduced to these devices. There is a lot of educational material that students can access on the Internet. For example, if a student does not have certain text books or academic materials, they can simply google on their phone,” he said.
Bulawayo provincial education director Mr Dan Moyo said what was important was to consider the importance of a cellphone as a communication device but emphasised their correct use so that they don’t obstruct lessons.
“There is nothing wrong with students owning mobile phones because this a very essential communication device. There comes a time when a child has to communicate with their parents or an emergency arises; that is simple logic which I expect school authorities know of.
“What I have constantly encouraged is that the mobile phones be disconnected during lessons because they can be disruptive but I see no problem in their operation during break or free time. Further for a school to go on and auction these phones, it is highly illegal and mischievous, instead in cases where they feel students are using the phones during lessons and there is need to confiscate them they should just give them back to the parents,” said Mr Moyo.
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary general, Mr Raymond Majongwe said this was a complex matter which needed an all-stakeholder approach so as to come up with the best possible solution.
“We have to look at the pros and cons in this matter and reach a decision that is good for the education sector as a whole. Yes, mobile devices are an issue we cannot just ignore but we must also consider that they can also be a distraction when a teacher is carrying out their duties,” he said.
Worldwide, there is no consensus among educationists on the use of mobile phones in schools. Therefore it can be noted that from an anti-school mobile phone use perspective; cellphones promote limited learning, behavioural problems, raise the potential for cheating and the risk of theft.
Online Reporter