MALAYSIA - I AM writing this in response to "Why the fuss over phone?" (StarEducation, July 13). It was unfortunate that the writer was sent on a wild-goose chase.

I am qualified enough to respond to this issue and I speak from from experience as a former vice-principal of a private school. Handphones are banned in schools for the following reasons:

Students' safety. Students are sometimes accosted and assaulted outside the school gate. Victims with handphones and other valuable will most certainly have these items taken away by force.

Disruption of class. It is both inappropriate and inconsiderate of a pupil to answer or make phone calls during a lesson.

Students have on many ocassions been caught text-messaging each other in class or playing games on their phones.

If teachers are not vigilant enough, students can actually use the phones to communicate during monthly tests or term exams.

Petty thefts in school. Handphones, especially those that are expensive and have additional features usually draw unnecessary attention, which often results in the items being stolen or lost.

Pornography in handphones. Many students have been known to download pornogrpahic pictures from the Internet to their phones.

I know that all schools, whether government or private, have provided public phones for students to use.

If the public phones are out of order and the calls are urgent, no administrator or teacher will prevent a child from using the school's phone.

I know of many teachers who have offered their personal phones to the students during an emergency!

Ex-VP

Via e-mail

This article was first published in The Star on July 20, 2008.