BANGALORE: In a decision that is bound to send ripples across the state, the Karnataka government has banned the use of mobile phones in all government and aided first grade colleges under the Department of Collegiate Education (DCE).
The ban, according to a circular issued recently, applies to students, teachers and the non-teaching staff.
The department had already prohibited students, teachers and other staff members from using cellphones in schools.
The decision to prohibit the use of mobile phones in educational institutions of the state comes in the backdrop of New Delhi banning cellphones in schools and colleges in the wake of the MMS scandal in which a clip of a sexual act between students was sent to several people and even posted online.
DCE director KV Kodandaramaiah, told The New Indian Express that the ban on carrying mobile phones was imposed because they were misused by students during college hours. “This is spoiling the academic atmosphere of the campuses,” he said.
The director said that earlier students were not allowed to carry cellphones during examinations. Most professional colleges, including medical and engineering institutions in the state, have banned the use of cellphones on their campuses.
There are 357 government and 299 private aided firstgrade colleges in the state under the DCE and the ban will come into force immediately, Kodandaramaiah said.
The department has asked college authorities to set up committees to ensure that the ban is implemented. “A three-member committee headed by the principal, with a senior professor and a physical education teacher as members, will be constituted in each of the colleges.
The panel will have the power to confiscate mobile phones if students are found carrying them on the campuses,” he said.
“If the need arises, a BSNL telephone booth will be set up on the campuses,” Kodandaramaiah added.
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