Group advocates ban of phones in secondary schools

The group says the uses of phones in secondary schools distract students.
An advocacy group, Compulsory Child Education, on Tuesday, called on all tiers of government to ban the use of mobile phones by students in secondary schools in the country.
The President of the group, Williams Oforji, said in Port Harcourt that mobile phones could distract students.
According to Mr. Oforji, any student that needs a phone to contact parents or guardians during regular school hours should make such calls from the school’s mobile phone.
He said that phones and access to the Internet by minors were some of the major factors responsible for the high rate of indiscipline among adolescents.
“Students are supposed to be in school to learn and allowing them to have their phones in school causes huge distraction to their academic pursuits.
“Majority of students no longer pay attention to teachers while classes are in progress and this is responsible for their poor performances.
“As a result, some students now rely on the Internet to provide answers to their home work.
“Study shows that a majority of students in secondary schools is using mobile phones to text, send email and browse social network sites,” Mr. Oforji said.
Mr. Oforji said that a ban of mobile phones could encourage reading as well as improve student’s capacity to learn.