The Oyo State House of Assembly is taking steps to tackle the growing use of mobile phones among secondary school students. During a recent plenary session, the lawmakers instructed the House Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) to meet with key stakeholders and explore ways to regulate phone usage in both public and private secondary schools across the state.
This decision followed a motion presented by Hon. Olalekan Abiola, the representative for Akinyele 1 State Constituency. He urged the government to ban students from using personal mobile phones during school hours, citing concerns over discipline and academic performance.
Hon. Abiola pointed out that while mobile phones can be valuable tools, their misuse in schools is affecting students’ focus and behavior. He raised issues such as increased truancy, peer pressure leading to risky behavior, a drop in reading culture, and cheating during examinations through phone smuggling.
“The use of mobile phones in secondary schools has become a growing concern, as it contributes to distraction during learning hours, reduces students’ focus on academics, and promotes indiscipline.
The students have gone as far as smuggling mobile phones into examination halls to cheat, undermining the credibility of academic assessments.
The unrestricted access to mobile phones has also contributed to rising cases of cyberbullying, sex-texting, and exposure to inappropriate materials, which negatively influence students’ behaviour.”
He also recommended that schools put in place official communication systems that allow parents to reach their children in emergencies without disrupting learning activities.
The committee is expected to engage relevant bodies including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Information, and the Agency for Mobilisation to develop a practical approach.
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