Different reactions have emerged over ban imposed by the Punjab Assembly on the use of cell phones in schools and colleges.
‘Find something better to do’
Many students were of the opinion that the lawmakers should find something better to do and focus on things that are of national importance instead of picking up such petty issue in the assembly.
“Generally, the merit in different schools and colleges has improved over the years, this shows that cell phones are not hindering the learning process. The lawmakers should really find something better to do,” said Hira Abbass, a PU student.
Texting during class
Many students however admitted to Pakistan Today that they regularly used cell phones to text during their classes.
“The lectures are so boring, hence I text my friends so that the class can end early,” a KC student said.
Cheating, day in and out
In a survey conducted to assess how often the cell phones were being used to cheat, the following figures came to surface:
29% students had sent a text message to a friend to seek help during an exam.
8 % said they had used Wifi/GPRS to search for answers on the internet
6 % said they had taken pictures of a quiz for friends who might be sitting for the exam later
Cause of moral degradation?
In a staggering story revealed by Dr Prof Noreen Khalid, a biology professor at a government college, a new aspect of cell phone usage emerged. “I was carrying out a routine checking of students’ bags one day and I found a cell phone in a girl’s bag,” Noreen told Pakistan Today, adding “I asked her what it was for and she said it was to contact her parents, but her face showed visible signs of confusion so I turned it on.”
In it, she said, she found inappropriate pictures of the girl with a boy. “Not only this, the text messages were extremely explicit and immoral,” she said.
The girl’s parents were then called, who told the college administration that they could hardly afford to buy cell phones for themselves, let alone their daughter, Noreen said, adding that it was discovered that the boy had bought the cell phone for the girl and the girl used to leave home for college but her attendance was short and she used to go away with the boy who stood waiting for her outside the college. “They were using the cell phone to communicate, and to take pictures of course,” said Noreen.