High school students’ phones ‘a porn hub’

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MOST of the smart phones confiscated from students at Townsend High School two weeks ago and later auctioned to the public for as little as $15 contain pornographic materials, Southern Eye has established.

MOST of the smart phones confiscated from students at Townsend High School two weeks ago and later auctioned to the public for as little as $15 contain pornographic materials, Southern Eye has established.

BY SILAS NKALA

This comes amid accusations by parents, whose children lost their mobile phones that the school authorities had committed fraud and theft by selling the gadgets without their approval.

The auction saw parents, teachers and passers-by buying about 30 confiscated smart phones, which included Samsung S4, Blackberry, Android and Nokia Windows phones for as little as $15, with the most expensive going for $20. Some of the phones cost up to $300 on the market.

Some of the parents who bought the gadgets, this week visited Southern Eye offices to complain about the contents of the smart phones.

“I bought this smart phone during the school auction for $20, but look at all the dirty things it has,” said one parent, who identified himself only as Mlalazi.

“Is this what Lazarus Dokora [Minister of Primary and Secondary Education] meant when he said children must be allowed to use smart phones at school? They are viewing pornography. This must be stopped immediately because our children will never learn with these phones.”

Mlalazi showed Southern Eye sex movies in the phone he bought. The blue movies were downloaded last year on August 27, September 8 and October 22.

He said dates of downloads showed that the children have been corrupting their minds with the dirty movies for a full year.

“Instead of studying, children will be showing each other pornography. I do not think the school was wrong by taking these phones,” Mlalazi said. “In fact smart phones must be banned from school.”

Mlalazi said he was taking the phone to Bulawayo provincial education director (PED) Dan Moyo, to show him what it means to allow school children to carry smart phones to school.

Another parent, who asked not to be named, claimed enrolment at the school in question dropped from 1 026 to about 900, as some students dropped out due to pregnancies.

“During break times they have no time for books, but will be showing each other pornography. After watching pornography do you think they can concentrate on their books? It’s not possible,” the parent said.

The deputy head of the school declined to comment, saying she was not authorised to speak to the Press.

PED Moyo could not be reached for comment yesterday.

But last week, Moyo told a weekly newspaper that although he was not aware of the matter, it was illegal and mischievous for the school to sell students’ mobile phones, saying they were very essential communication devices.