Sindh Government Bans Students from Using Mobile Phones on School and College Campuses

The Sindh College Education Department has announced major reforms for provincial colleges, focusing on student welfare, governance, and campus discipline. Central to the overhaul are the launch of student counselling services and a formal ban on unnecessary mobile phone use on campuses. Education experts, bureaucrats, and professionals will be hired to provide guidance and support through the new counselling program, while a notification enforcing the mobile phone restrictions is expected soon.

During a meeting chaired by Secretary of College Education Nadeem Memon, officials reviewed issues such as teacher absenteeism, weak monitoring, and substandard construction in colleges. The department found that 44 male and 36 female teachers had been absent for extended periods, and decided to take immediate legal action by forwarding cases to the Chief Secretary of Sindh and publishing public notices.

To strengthen oversight, an autonomous Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate will be created by merging existing inspection wings. This body will monitor teacher attendance, infrastructure quality, and academic standards rigorously. In addition, a College Infrastructure Development Unit will be established to manage future development projects through professional consulting firms selected via national and international tenders.

Student welfare measures include the counselling program, the mobile phone ban, and the “Each One, Teach One” initiative aimed at bringing out-of-school children back into the education system. Secretary Memon emphasized zero tolerance for negligence, warning that officers failing to carry out their responsibilities will face strict disciplinary action without exception.