West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced the end of the one-time ₹ 10,000 assistance to classes 11 and 12 students to buy mobile phones under a scheme started under the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.
“Follow the Gujarat model in schools. “Mobile phones have a huge negative impact on school children. It will be a tough decision, and I may lose votes.
The TMC, which was voted out of power after 15 years this year, launched the ‘Taruner Swapno’ scheme in 2022 to provide one-time financial assistance to classes 11 and 12 students to purchase smartphones, tablets and computers. At a Teachers’ Day function last week, Adhikari hinted at banning mobile phones in schools, citing Gujarat, where students up to class 12 are banned from bringing mobile phones to schools. In Gujarat, mobile phones are banned for students up to class 12.
He said the state’s Baharatiya Janata Party government is ready to spend more money to provide students with modern infrastructure for their education. “But we will not provide mobile phones,” Adhikari said. Keep students away from mobile phones as far as possible,” he said. Even after their parents go off to sleep, the students remain awake…watching mobile phones,” Adhikari had said
