Whether or not teachers should be allowed to use mobile phones during school hours has become a hotly debated topic. The managements of many private schools prefer to restrict use of mobile phones in order to maintain discipline. “A mobile phone is the personal property of a teacher, but making and answering calls during duty hours and especially during lectures is wrong and should not be allowed,” said Rajallah Al-Sulemi, a member of the Ministry of Education's media department. Pakistan International School Jeddah (PISJ) has instructed its teachers to keep their phones in silent mode during classes and in the school corridors. “Answering calls on mobile phones disturbs students and affects the classroom atmosphere. That's why we discourage teachers using mobile phones in the school,” said Salma Khan, vice principal of PISJ. International Indian School Jeddah has also imposed a ban on the use of mobile phones by teachers during classes. “The school strictly bans mobiles for teachers and students for the sake of discipline. We have lockups for teachers where they have to keep their mobiles during duty hours,” a source at IISJ said. While many schools strictly do not allow mobiles, there are a few that have a more lenient policy. Waha International School (WIS), for example, encourages teachers not to use mobile sets during school hours. “We do not allow them to use the phone in classes, but we do allow them to call from the school phone if it is urgent and necessary,” said Fozeena Zaki, senior registrar. Abeer Syed, a teacher in a private school, said her school allows teachers to keep mobile sets, but prefers that they are kept silent. “We can answer the phone in case of an emergency and, after all, that is the true purpose of the mobile. My previous school used to be strict in this matter,” she said. Nevertheless, a teacher, who preferred to remain anonymous, said, “My school has strict regulations on this matter. We have to submit our mobile sets before signing in. Many teachers are not happy with this decision. I face problems because I cannot ask about my child whom I leave at a daycare center. Violation of the rule by a few teachers is not good enough reason for this strict rule.”
