Worried by the challenges associated with the use of cell phones among students, such as lack of concentration, loss of retentive memory, erosion of good reading culture and others, the Parents’ Teachers Forum, (PTF) and the school management of ECWA Model Schools have taken a decision banning the trend, most especially among students of its Junior and Senior Secondary School division.
This formed part of the deliberations during the last weekend gathering of the Forum at the Mission school premises in D-Line, Port Harcourt.
Earlier, the school head teacher, Mrs. Joy Okoro had brought some major issues before the parents concerning delay in payment of school fee, even after exhausting the ‘grace period’ spanning three to four weeks.
According to her, some parents took their children and wards out of the school without payment for their school fee in a term. She stated that the management had been lenient in allowing parents reasonable period to pay their children’s school fee. Responding, a parent who appreciated the management later expressed concerned in the area of school fee drive and enforcement, which she reasoned had led to sending students out of the school premises. She described this as a dangerous practice as the concerned boys and girls may resort to misdemeanor and other vices. She advised that management would do better if it ensured that the students remained in the school even without learning. The head teacher urged that this would move parents more than sending their children and wards out of the school.
On the use of cell phones, majority of the parents agreed with the teachers about the need to put stringent measures in place to discourage the students from the use of cell phone.
A secondary school teacher, Mr. Chris Abraham lent his voice and condemned in totality students use of phones when studies were in progress. He cited instances where a student embarked on the use of whatssap to distract others around her from concentrating.
Also, another parent, Mr. Friday John noted with fear, the increasing loss of interest in reading books among students. He opined that by using cell phones in school hours, many students took to internet cites that promote nudity and pornography.
As a way forward, the school head teacher informed the gathering that the school was prepared to ban use of phones by students. The decision according to the executives of the PTF was commendable.
The school head teacher, Mrs. Helen Amadi announced that, henceforth any cell phone collected from students would be withheld permanently to serve as deterrents, to others.
She expressed displeasure about poor spelling among students in the senior secondary class and other negative effects of phone language which she reasoned was different from acceptable contemporary English.
Also, parents generally appraised students’ performance in Mathematics, especially among students of the Junior Secondary School.
The Forum advised the school mathematics teacher to explore other methods of teaching to make the subject more interesting. But, a member of the PTF exco noted that the teacher could have been overwhelmed by workload of the subject, as he remains the only teacher assigned to teach Mathematics to student of the Junior Secondary Class.
Based on the argument, parents were unanimous in their demand for additional Mathematics teacher to help bring down the work load.
But, in her formal address to the forum the head teacher expressed satisfaction with the quality of debate among teachers and parents. She stated that everything being done was to promote excellence in the school.
She commended executives of the PTF for responding to the needs of the school, especially provision of two new air conditional to the Junior Secondary Class, apart from cash donation to further improve the school library.
The headteacher also commended the PTF for the successful election of the new exco, assuring of the usual cooperation towards the development of the school. She called on parents from the Secondary School to show interest in attending the Parent’s Teachers Forum.
