Several schools are allowing senior students to use mobile phones in the classroom for reference work or club activities.
The “privilege”, however, is taken away and phones are confiscated if students are caught using the device for any other purpose than what is set by the teacher.
Modern High School for Girls is allowing students of classes XI and XII to use mobile phones in the classroom for academic purposes.
Before the pandemic, students got permission to carry their phones only if they were using public transport, needed to book an app cab or inform their parents about their whereabouts.
Schools like Lakshmipat Singhania Academy and Indus Valley World School have given students permission to use phones for photography club activities.
At Indus Valley World School, students required to make Powerpoint presentations are allowed to use their phones, too.
In the last two years of online school, children attended classes on phones in many homes. The students’ dependency on phones went up and schools, too, have not deleted class groups online. Schools still upload or disseminate some information through various online platforms.
At Modern High School, students of classes XI and XII can use phones only in the classroom under the supervision of the teacher and not anywhere else on campus.
“If the teacher makes a reference to a video, the students can see it on their phones. The device is to be used as a tool of learning,” said Damayanti Mukherjee, principal of Modern High School for Girls.
Modern High students, however, have to sign a declaration that the phone is not to be used within the school premises without the permission of a teacher. The declaration makes it clear that any infringement of the rule would mean the phone would be confiscated.
“We are teaching students to be responsible for their actions and be able to do the right thing when no one is watching,” said Mukherjee. “Why should students need policing all the time?”
Amita Prasad, director of Indus Valley World School, said: “Earlier, for the photography club, a few children had phones and many of them would get point-and-shoot cameras. But now, all of them, including those in middle school, bring their phones. The resource persons can teach still photography and video editing on the same device.”
At Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, once a week, two periods at the end of the day are assigned for photography.
“They can take the phones from their teacher to use them. But it will be confiscated if misused, “ said Meena Kak, director of the school.
Teachers have to be alert because it is not unusual for students to try and take selfies or browse the Internet for purposes other than specified by the teacher, school heads said.