It never fails...during a quiet study moment in class, or a robust lecture, someone's cell phone rings. Everyone turns around to stare, and the teacher...what, hands out a detention? Nope, since it was the teacher's cell phone that rang. Education authorities in Bangladesh thought the ban on student cellphones in classrooms would be enough to prevent digital disruptions. But they forgot to extend the rules to teachers.
In a 2010 study, the disadvantaged children’s organization Child Parliament found that 75 percent of school teachers speak on the phone during class, interrupting lessons of their students, reports All Headline News. Child Parliament is an organization that allows children to discuss their rights and demands at a national level and place their suggestions before the authorities concerned.
Fed up with three-quarters of its educators receiving — and even making — phone calls during their own lectures, Bangladesh's Education Ministry has banned them from bringing their phones into class as well, reports the Associated Press (News - Alert).
School officials are supporting the rap on the knuckles for teachers.
Viqarunnessa High School and College head Hosne Ara Begum told the AP that, “There are teachers who spend more time in talking on cellphones and ignoring lectures. We welcome the ban.”
Nurul Islam Nahid, the country's education minister, announced the ban on Sunday at the 8th Child Parliament session held in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka. The ban goes into effect today. Mr. Nahid warned that the teachers would be punished for negligence of duties to impart lessons in schools.
More than half Bangladesh's 150 million people have cellphones.
Tracey Schelmetic is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Tracey's articles, please visit her columnist page.
Edited by Rich Steeves
Elevers och lärares ej stängda Mobiltelefoner i ett klassrum: = vansinne!
