Dr Rafiq Zakaria Women’s College in Aurangabad, Maharashtra has banned the use of mobile phones inside the college campus during college hours. It said it had taken this action to help students improve their focus on studies.
Speaking to PTI, Principal of Dr Rafiq Zakaria Women’s College, Dr Maqdoom Farooqui said, “We were searching for measures to enhance the process of learning and we found that students could concentrate better when they are not allowed to carry their cellphones to classrooms.”
The women’s college which offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses and houses around 3000 students imposed this ban 15 days ago. The ban has not only helped students focus better in classrooms, but also improved their interaction with their peers, said Dr Farooqui.
Although students are not allowed to carry their own phones on campus, a couple of handsets are kept in the reading room for emergencies, he added.
The principal furthered that “Initially, the decision was taken as a punishment for overuse of cellphones, but now students and staff are cooperating in the effort to enhance the learning and teaching process.”
Students, who travel to the college from far away places, have to deposit their phones once they enter the campus and collect them on their way home, he added.