Michael Kingston’s column (“Classrooms no place for phones” Sunday Territorian 10/10) is one of the best and most pertinently relevant pieces on education that has been published in the media on education this year. Mr Kingston is absolutely right in calling for Education Minister Lauren Moss to oversee banning of mobiles in schools for because they distract and detract from teaching and learning activities. Phones have been banned by education departments in most states and the NT should follow suit. The vast majority of territory classroom teachers will applaud Mr Kingston for speaking up on an issue that has dogged and disrupted our classrooms for far too many years.

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All the very best to students and teachers returning to schools for the commencement of term four. May the final term of the year be one of great teaching and learning satisfaction. All the very best to our year 12 students who are preparing for their university entrance examinations in a few short weeks.

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It is sad that the Police Department hierarchy has decided that school basic constables are to be removed from urban primary schools and replaced by auxiliary staff. The school Based Constable program was the best of support programs from its inception in the early 1980’s, until ‘authorities’ started changing the operational model from around 2006. It has never been the same since; it has been totally skewed and rendered almost useless by unnecessary tampering.