Should the use of WhatsApp and Mobile phones be restricted in schools?

Whether we need to restrict the use of WhatsApp and mobile phones in schools is existential! Are good schools entirely dependent on WhatsApp and mobile phones? While it is true that many schools all over the world used the mobile phone and WhatsApp to conduct online classes during lockdowns, the same argument cannot be entertained in the physical setup.

While many schools in Delhi ban the use of mobile phones by teachers and students, often asking the owners to deposit them at the reception, many other top-notch schools turn a blind eye towards the rampant use of mobile phones in the school, inside corridors and even classrooms.

An average teacher in a progressive school receives 250 to 300 WhatsApp messages on his or her mobile phone and he or she is supposed to acknowledge receipt of the same immediately. The inability to respond to a WhatsApp message will be construed as insubordination or plain carelessness. But the question here is that if a teacher has to attend to 250 to 300 WhatsApp messages during each working day, then is he not wasting valuable time is he in teaching students?

This is a typical WhatsApp Teacher's web of work life!

Good schools a decade ago worked very well without  WhatsApp and the mobile phone. They used written or typed circulars to pass on important information to teachers, for which the latter signed a receipt. The mobile phone is itself a great distraction and an irritation. There was this time when a teacher had to respond to a call of nature when a phone call came asking her to reach a class even though it was yet to start! The posting of messages after duty hours also happens to be a rather mentally draining experience.

If we are helpless and can't do without mobile phones and WhatsApp, then teachers and leaders should undergo rigorous training in Mobile phone and WhatsApp etiquette! If students cannot be allowed to bring their mobile phone devices to school, then how can we allow teachers to carry their phones to class? The very presence of a mobile phone in the classroom can prove to be a distraction as each time the phone vibrates, you are drawn to it. This tends to break the connection and concentration one has in class.

We are already inside the Matrix!

The question here is, are we going to depend on WhatsApp and the Mobile phone in class, or do we restrict it use? Are we supposed to contrate on the subject or respond to messages on the go? What is clear, however, is that it is high time we selected our priorities! We have heard so much of the term, WhatsApp university, do we now as teachers become graduates of WhatsApp university or do we stick to our traditional universities? The CBSE and regional education departments have time and again sent out circulars regarding the matter. These organisations have suggest banning the use of mobile phones in school.