Syrian Schools Curb Cell Phone Use

The state newspaper Al-Thawra has raised concern about the use of mobile phones among schoolchildren in Syria.



In the January 11 article, the head of Sate al-Husari School for Girls was quoted as saying pupils had been forbidden to bring cellphones into the classroom because so many of them had been caught sending photographs and text messages to boys at neighbouring schools.



Meanwhile, Nuhad Mahmoud, head of the Brotherhood School, said pupils there were allowed to bring their phones to class as long as they did not take them out during lessons.



The paper warned that as mobiles become increasingly popular among teenagers, a new form of bullying has emerged where children take pictures of one another and them upload them onto computers where the images can be altered.