Concerns over “Islamic law” and “focus” led Taliban authorities in southern Afghanistan to ban smartphones in classrooms, which pupils and instructors verified to AFP on Wednesday.
Students, instructors, and administrative personnel in regular and religious institutions are all subject to the direction issued by the Kandahar provincial education department.
“This decision has been made to ensure educational discipline, focus,” the statement stated, adding that smartphones contribute to “the destruction of the future generation” and that the decision was made from a “sharia perspective.”
Teachers and students have differing opinions on the program, which has already been implemented in schools throughout the province.
