on handphones

my first handphone – siemens C25. monochrome display… small display size. no T9. cannot download ringtones – had to type like mad each keypad for ringtones. mine was red in colour and the thing i like about it was that it had translucent colours. a few red LED lights spread over the keypads will light up and flashed when a phone call comes in. bought this at er… around year 2000 i think and about RM300 to RM400. i sold it to a friend at only RM50.

boy! am i glad to read that the gomen had decided to review the use of handphone in school. the education minisiter (the keris-wielding guy) said he will make the decision after the post cabinet meeting yesterday. i wonder how’s the outcome.

i am one of those who oppose the idea of allowing school children to bring handphones. from what i read and hear here and there, majority were also against the idea.

my second handphone – siemens S45 – quite a good phone (except of course still no colour display). this one had an orange backlight… which i like as at that time most phones came with blue backlight. it has GPRS! bought this around year 2003 at about RM850. my sister is now using this phone.

the two main reasons the gomen gave in lifting the ban of handphones in school was that with handphones, students can make emergency calls and that parents can keep a tab on the children’s whereabout.

gee, these are such weak reasons. many people (e.g. bloggers – yeah i’m late in talking about this again as many had already talked about it) had argued that for emergency calls, the children can always use the school phones. as to parents keeping a tab on their children’s whereabout, don’t you trust your children? and how will you keep a tab on them if they did not answer the phone when you call?

to coninute reading, please click on ‘more’ below.

the gomen when saying aye to handphones use in school, i suppose are not ‘techie’ enough to be aware that a handphone can do much more than calling/making calls and sms. yes, one can take photos, play games, listen to music/radio, get on the internet and lots more. with so much to do with a handphone, i’m sure the students’ temptation to want to use the handphone even when not allowed to in class, will be very strong. the teacher can’t monitor everyone in the class (esp. big classes).

my present handphone – SE K700i. bought it in jan. last year. wanted a colour display and bluetooth so bought this at RM1350. i blog about it here.

further, i agree with one state exco fella, zambry abdul kadir, who said that handphones in school will create dispartiy between the haves and the have- nots. true… and not forgetting the students will tend to compare their handphones… and guess what? to get a better one than their friend, they will pester mummy and daddy to buy a new one for them.

yes, there are pros and cons on handphones being allowed in school, as can be seen here for example, but i would say the cons out-weight the pros.

left: hopefully my future handphone (if can afford) – motorola SLVR L7 – its 3G! or any other 3G handphone… but not the ah beng/ah lian nokia please. right: my dream phone – the 02 xda II mini – if i did not get a PDA.

UPDATED 0820 AM: hurray! read in the paper this morning that it is official – no handphone in school.

“various parties, including parents and teachers, are not ready to deal with students using handphones in school. teachers, too, are worried about the difficulty of monitoring the situation” he said after his ministry’s post-cabinet meeting yesterday. it cannot become a reality without the support of the majority.” so said hishamuddin, the education minister.

wise words. should have thought of that earlier anyway. during tv3 interview one day i heard from one lady who had said that before the gomen lifted the ban on handphone, they should seek the view of everyone. yes, i agree. the gomen works in a funny way – no, yes, no…. made a decision, then can backtrack the decision. somebody out there would go LOL i suppose.