Hyderabad: Teachers banned from using smartphones in classrooms, exceptions only for attendance, teaching

Teachers are allowed to use smartphones solely for recording student attendance through facial recognition, and only with the headmaster’s permission.

Hyderabad: Banning smartphone usage in classrooms, the School Education department asked its school teachers to deposit them with the head of the institution during working hours.

The teachers have been permitted to use the smart phones only while taking the facial recognition of students for attendance purposes with permission of the headmaster. The government and local body school heads, KGBVs special officers and TG Model Schools principals have been allowed to permit teachers to use the smart phone in the classroom for using the internet for explaining lessons to students.

The move comes as there were instances of teachers using mobile phones in the classroom during the school hours. Apart from distracting, students would emulate such habits from teachers, thereby affecting classroom atmosphere. The department made it clear that any deviation in rule would be viewed seriously and further action would be initiated.