Starting Tuesday, mobile phones are no longer allowed in Punjab’s schools for both students and teachers. This ban applies to all government and private schools, and district education officers have been ordered to enforce it.
The Punjab government also requires teachers to wear coats, proper shoes, and watches while at school. This decision comes after the Punjab School Education Department received complaints about teachers wasting time on their phones.
Mobile phone use in Punjab’s schools has led to serious problems, including videos recorded and shared on social media by students and teachers, according to a senior official. To address this and other concerns, the government issued 20 guidelines to all district education authorities. These guidelines, developed by the education ministry, aim to improve student welfare and discipline.
All teachers will be required to leave their phones at the administration office. Any violation of this ban will result in phone confiscation and disciplinary action. Students and teachers must also visibly display their school badges and ID cards.
Students in Punjab schools must wear navy blue sweaters and those out of uniform will be denied entry. All schools are required to display their timetables publicly. To maintain discipline, classes will have designated student representatives. Schools must also display patriotic slogans.
Students will use registers for classwork, and teachers will record attendance on the corner of the blackboard. Rana Liaqat Ali, Secretary General of the Punjab Teachers Union, commented that the phone ban, while a positive step, is largely unnecessary as teachers already refrain from phone use in schools.