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Studentspeak: Should schools have WiFi?

Bilal Ahmad Khan, Our Own English High School, Sharjah

There was once a time when we were supposed to write notes and document stuff in classes and do research and projects in the library or computer labs. But now having WiFi facility in classrooms makes everything seem like a piece of cake! No one thinks about the cons. Students can misuse the internet. I think students are better at typing rather than holding pens!

Sriparno Majumdar, Delhi Private School, Sharjah

Providing WiFi to students is not just about installing a WiFi-enabled modem and asking us to get tablets instead of textbooks. The school must have security measures and disable non-educational and abusive websites. More importantly the school must have a teacher with good IT knowledge, which most schools fail to provide. In some cases, providing WiFi can affect the way the educational system runs, not allowing few teachers to give their 100 per cent. But in most cases, it helps teachers teach better and students learn more. Even though having WiFi seems a better option, I wouldn’t pick sides as education without WiFi is not so bad after all.

Nafisath Thasnim, International Indian School, Ajman.

With access to WiFi, students would even end up chatting with their classmates instead of having real conversations with one another. In most cases, if students are given access to WiFi, misuse is definite. Schools are possibly the only place where students are not allowed to access the internet and hence the only place where they get few hours away from the virtual world. If schools allow students to access the internet, they are posing a major threat to their mental development, as well.

Bharath Prathap Nair, Our Own English High School,
Al Ain

Yes, there are some disadvantages when there is WiFi connectivity at schools. Students may surf websites which are not needed for them or inappropriate for them. To solve this, school authorities can install the latest technology or softwares that can restrict surfing inappropriate websites.

Adnan Ahmad Khan, Our Own English High School, Sharjah

Introduction of WiFi in school campuses is a great advancement. Well, in my opinion, it’s vital for the 21st century educational systems as we have tonnes of projects, researches and home assignments to do on time. In my view, digital technology and WiFi should be allowed in institutions but after filtering undesirable sites including social media, which can divert ones attention from education!

Next week’s topic

Extra classes: Helpful or not?

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education@khaleejtimes.com