Dr. Saeed Olorunnisola, Interim Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Al-Hikmah University in Ilorin, Kwara State, has called on federal and state governments to ban smartphones in secondary and tertiary institutions, arguing that the move would improve students’ concentration during classes.

Olorunnisola made the appeal during his address at the second national symposium of the Mission for the Eradication of Examination Malpractice (MEEM) in Osogbo, Osun State, over the weekend. He expressed concerns over the rising tide of exam malpractice and its detrimental effects on education and national development, identifying social media distractions as a key factor eroding students’ focus even at the secondary school level.

“Prohibiting smartphones in schools is a critical step to safeguarding academic integrity and fostering disciplined learning environments,” he stated.

“Social media is causing distraction in secondary schools. Tertiary institutions are the worst. Students don’t care any longer. Some of them are taking photo shot of notes and they will not read them. They are usually on social media.

“What we have right now is a misuse of technology and it must be taken away. We have a university that has banned their undergraduate from using mobile phones,” he said.

Speaking on the need for government to act and assist young learners to concentrate in class, the don said ban on the use of smartphones by a particular university that he did not disclose eventually assisted its students to concentrate more in class.

In his remarks, Prof Buniyameen Abdulkareem, chairman of the MEEM Board of Trustees, stated that the group, a non-governmental organisation founded by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria B-Zone, organised the symposium for policymakers, students, and teachers after realising the need to stem the tide of rising examination malpractices in the country.