BANNING THE USE OF MOBILE PHONES IN MALAWI PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS

[Foster Gondwe]

Colleagues,

As you may be aware, most (if not all) public secondary schools (and especially boarding secondary schools) do not allow students to possess mobile phones at school.

I wanted to ask if the prohibition is a formal government policy, or it is left to the schools to decide. If its a policy, may you please share a copy of the same.

Your urgent help will be appreciated.

Thanks,

 

Foster Gondwe
Instructor (Instruction Media and Technology).
University of Malawi, Chancellor College
Education Foundations Department
Post Office Box 280
Zomba

Cell: +265 881 195 355
Phone: +265 111 754 822
Email: fgo...@cc.ac.mw or foster...@gmail.com

[symon chiziwa]

Foster,
Banned! Why ? Cellphones can be used to promote learning.
Symon

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[Foster Gondwe]

Well, may be i have used a strong word.. but i am told students are not allowed to use the phones in schools?

Foster Gondwe
Instructor (Instruction Media and Technology).
University of Malawi, Chancellor College
Education Foundations Department
Post Office Box 280
Zomba

Cell: +265 881 195 355
Phone: +265 111 754 822
Email: fgo...@cc.ac.mw or foster...@gmail.com

[Jean Chinyamula]

I hope we are also looking at both positives as well as negatives and see what is of more help to the learner. Do they promote learning really? Think deeper.

Jean Chinyamula.

[Foster Gondwe]

Jean, 

Yes, generally there is substantial evidence highlighting both negative and positive impact of mobile phones in schools..and perhaps the ban of using phones in our schools is a response to the negative impacts.  

Just FYI: An ongoing study in southern African (with cases in Ghana, Malawi and South Africa) has so far demonstrated that there is limited data showing direct positive educational value of mobile phones. One gap is that learners and teachers alike lack the awareness of exploiting the potential of mobile phones in enhancing learner centered approaches, access to education and access to curriculum related information among other benefits.

Foster Gondwe
Instructor (Instruction Media and Technology).
University of Malawi, Chancellor College
Education Foundations Department
Post Office Box 280
Zomba

Cell: +265 881 195 355
Phone: +265 111 754 822
Email: fgo...@cc.ac.mw or foster...@gmail.com

[Grace Milner]

May be it is just part of school rules and regulations.  otherwise there is no documented policy on this.

Thanks

[Pat Chi]

there is need to harness the power to technology and mobile phone is one such technology.. i hope that the one going research will lead to a policy / school regulation on utilisation of mobile phone technology. 

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Patrick Mphatso CHINGUWO
saved by Christ Jesus to serve Him only

Box 962,ZOMBA
cell:(+265) 0888 345 369
alt.email:patrick...@yahoo.com
blog:http://chinguwo.blogspot.com/

[Grace Milner]

very true, am sure the challenges that teachers face may be:

1. abuse of the technology such as using it to watch pornography

2. using to communicate to boy friends/girlfriends/sugar daddies/sugar mummies, parents etc etc  etc instead of using it for learning purposes

3. driving the leaners attention away from concentrating on studies

Such behaviors force schools to ban use of cell phones in schools. Otherwise use of technology in schools is very good and can assist learners to widen their knowledge.

If am not mistaken, a study was done by late Mr. J Milner from  Centre for Social Research on the use of cellphones in schools. Unfortunately I do not have a copy of the study.  He did it with a certain white lady. Try o find out from  CSR in Zomba.

Grace Milner

[Abdulaziz Yassin]

Can’t agree more with Grace.

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[Jean Chinyamula]

Grace is very right. This would completely  bring indiscipline in schools. The use of this technology is not bad in its own but the way learners would use it, pathetic. 

You would be surprised that although they are restricted to use these phones, if you do a small survey on indiscipline cases in schools especially secondary, you would discover that most of them involve use of phones for wrong purposes like taking picture of the teacher in class without the owner's consent, communicating on WAP while lessons are in progress and so on.

Unless more Civic Education would be conducted, this would bring more harm than good.

Jean.

[Antonie Chigeda]

Certainly these ideas are interesting, but why is it that we often find it imperative to 'control' people instead of training them to be responsible. I am mean at what point would these learners learn how to act responsibly, by postponing this in school people leave school and the same behaviours that should have been addressed in schools show up when they leave school and unfortunately the school is no longer there to control them. Lets think of long term rather than addressing short term concerns

_______________________________________

Dr Antonie L Chigeda  

Director E-Learning Centre

University of Malawi,Chancellor College
P.O. Box 280, Zomba, Malawi

Tel:       +265 (0) 111 952 593
Mobile:  +265 (0) 888 321 347
Fax:      +265 (0) 1 524 046

Alternate email: achi...@cc.ac.mw

Skype: chigeda.antonie

_______________________________________