In Chechnya, pupils' parents criticize ban on using mobile phones in schools

In Chechnya, parents of schoolchildren complain about the order of the regional Ministry of Education, which prohibits the schoolchildren to use mobile phones. The parents believe that the safety of children was seriously threatened, and officials refer to the instructions of the republic's leaders.

Officials from the Ministry of Education of Chechnya believe that the innovation is designed to raise the schoolchildren's achievements. A source from the Ministry of Education has explained that the order is still valid at the level of the experiment, which has begun on September 1, and that there is no law, banning the use of mobile phones. "This is an instruction of Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the republic," the source has explained to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The source has also assured that no complaints about the order had been reported, since "the parents understand that the main goal is to stop the SMS-correspondence during the classes and to exclude the schoolchildren's visits of websites with questionable content, including websites of extremist content."

Meanwhile, many parents report that, in practice, the order operates quite differently. "The schoolchildren were forbidden to bring any mobile phones to the school at all, since to withdraw and then to return all mobile phones is apparently too difficult for teachers," stated Luiza Magomadova, a resident of Grozny.

Kheda Saratova, the head of the information agency "Objective", emphasizes that the experiment became a big problem for the parents of the schoolchildren. According to her, the security issue is still relevant in the post-war republic.

The most anxiety was expressed by parents, whose children go to school in the second shift and return home in the dark. "My sister is the mother of two sons and a daughter. Two children attend the second shift at a school in the Vedeno District. The Deputy Principal fulfils the instructions of the Ministry of Education and does not allow the children attending the school with their mobile phones. However, she fails to explain how parents should communicate with their children in emergency situations, such as when their child suddenly did not return home," Malika said.