The proposal for a ban on cellphones in schools is an impractical suggestion that fails to address the core of the problem that gave rise to the call in the first place.

The proposal is not new, but has resurfaced following last week's brazen attack and killing of a schoolboy by robbers at the Albion Primary and Junior High School in Montego Bay, St. James.While we understand the concerns, the answer can't be to 'remove temptation' from would-be robbers, for their focus may not be singular. Indeed, only a few days earlier, another set of robbers invaded a classroom in the upper sixth form of Cornwall College and robbed students of cash. At the very least, the security of the premises needs to be addressed more urgently than the carrying of cellphones by students.

Additionally, as was demonstrated earlier this year, students can find various ways of carrying cellphones without school authorities being immediately aware that they have them. Ardenne High School in St. Andrew banned cellphones after one of their students was attacked. Yet a few months later during an incident at the school in which an alleged mad man was shot by the police on the campus, students who converged on the scene reportedly whipped out 'banned' phones to photograph the scene.

So a ban by schools does not prevent students having them and being attacked elsewhere.

At a more practical level, cellphones have evolved into an essential means of communication in today's world and a useful tool allowing parents to communicate with their children in emergencies or as the need arises. While many students are surviving without them, they are very much a part of modern society.

A ban on use in classrooms during school hours is perfectly in order. Given the various functions that phones can be used for including sending and receiving text and email messages, then school administrators are well within their rights to insist that this rule be observed. The temptation to distraction is one concern as is the transmission of information during exams.

The society is grappling with this attack on students as another aspect of the crime phenomenon and is yet to come up with a solution that addresses the many possibilities. There was a time when parents could have a reasonable assurance that apart from schoolyard scuffles, institutions of learning were relatively safe places for their children. With the attacks reported last week, this can no longer be taken for granted.

We note that several schools in the United States have also tried, without much success to date, to enforce a strict ban.

New York's 1.1-million-student school system has banned beepers and other communication devices since the late 1980s. Some schools have adopted an 'out of sight, out-of-trouble' approach, but city officials have been using portable metal detectors to check for weapons and these have led to the confiscation of hundreds of cellphones.

Although there have been violent incidents in schools, Jamaica has yet to reach that level where this tough enforcement is required.

What is needed is a more vigilant school community, effective policing, cooperation from eyewitnesses to crimes and sensible action on the part of students not to engage in extravagant displays of fancy expensive phones that may make them the target of criminals.