ALLOWING students to bring their mobile phones to school can cause more harm than good, teachers said, amid an ongoing survey by the Education Ministry on the matter.

It might encourage theft and provoke fights, besides distracting schoolchildren from their lessons, several teachers told The Malaysian Insight.

The Education Ministry is currently conducting a survey on whether or not pupils should be allowed to bring mobile phones to school.

The survey began on November 23 and will end on December 7.

Mobile phones are currently banned in schools but there have been suggestions that they should be allowed, especially if students face an emergency.

And with Covid-19 here to stay, there is also the view that allowing phones will make it easier for students to check in at school on the MySejahtera app.

Lim Bee Khim, president of the National Union of Schools, said she remains open-minded towards the proposal.

“This can be done, provided that there are strict guidelines in place, such as storing away their phones in lockers while not in use,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

Lim is more concerned about liability issues should a student’s phone go missing.

“Parents must be aware of this: What happens if the child loses their expensive mobile phone while at school?

“Who will bear the responsibility if this happens?”

Lim added that allowing mobile phones in schools may also distract students from their lessons. They could easily be playing games or browsing the internet without the teacher noticing.

“They may also use it as an excuse to get out of classes by hiding it in the toilet. Children these days are smart and will look for creative ways to use their phones.”

These concerns aside, Lim feels personal phones are unnecessary for students at school since schooling hours are shorter now under Covid-19 SOP.

Government schools cannot be compared with international schools where students have longer hours, she said.

SJKC Connaught 2 principal Chuah Soo Cheng said there are pros and cons to the matter.

One pro is that students can check in using MySejahtera, allowing teachers to know their health status and whether they have any family members who are infected.

“Currently, we are only notified by the student’s family member if there is an infection and that the student won’t be attending school for that reason.”

However, Chuah agreed that even if there are strict guidelines in place to regulate the use of mobile phones in schools, students may still find ways to play games, chat or log in to social media.

“If they do so during class, it will affect their lessons.”

Chuah, who is also the deputy president of the National Union of Heads of Schools, said the internet is too exciting a place for students to resist.

“We realised this when conducting online home-based learning. Students logged into class on Google Meet, but were looking at other websites at the same time.

“Parents asked teachers for help but there was nothing we could do.

“Now that physical lessons have resumed, it’s time to leave the internet at home and pay attention in school.”

Some students had to be counselled for internet addiction upon returning to physical school, Chuah added.

Another educator against allowing phones in school is Chua Lay Koh, president of the National Association of Chinese Primary School Principals.

Phones are not needed when students are in physical class, he said.

“Mobile phones or a smart device was needed for online classes during lockdown, but now that physical lessons have resumed, the teachers are right in front of them, there is no need for mobile phones.”

Emergencies, such as a child falling ill, are also not a good enough reason for students to bring mobile phones to school, he added.

“The teacher and the principal will immediately contact the parents, in any case,” said Chua, who is also the principal of  SJKC Kuo Kang 2. – December 2, 2021.