Female college students carrying mobile phones with cameras on campus in any college in the Kingdom could face a SR500 fine and 3-year suspension under  

Female college students carrying mobile phones with cameras on campus in any college in the Kingdom could face a SR500 fine and 3-year suspension under recent regulations issued by the Ministry of Education.

"What about the faculty and administration members?" questioned college student Huda Abdulghani. "Are they allowed to carry mobiles with cameras on campus? How come they're to be trusted and we're not?"

"So my mobile phone has a camera," said Umm Leila, a college student, married and mother of 3 children. "It's a gift from my husband and it's one of the recent models that are installed with cameras. I don't even use the camera but I've got to use the mobile during my day at college. As a respectable wife and mother I can understand authorities' concern. These regulations are insulting for the rest of us."

According to Al-Eqtisadiah, an Arab News sister publication, the Education Ministry's regulations say that if a student is caught carrying a mobile with a camera phone on campus without even using it, the gadget would be confiscated there and then until the end of term.

Furthermore, in such circumstances, she would have to sign an oath to not to repeat the offense and the written document would be added to her student file.

In the case where the student commits a second offense, her guardian would have to sign a written oath that she would abide by regulations. This would be in addition to a SR500 deduction from her student salary that would go to the Students' College Fund/Treasury.

If the student is caught taking photographs with her mobile camera of college faculties without written consent by the college dean, it would be confiscated and the student and her guardian would have to sign an oath in addition to suspension from college for a month.

Half of the month would be part of the allowed period of student absence, and the phone would be "removed" — after a final ruling is issued in presence of the disciplinary committee. No clarification was forthcoming as to the final fate of the phone.

However if the student took photographs of people at college, she would face a one-year suspension and the mobile phone confiscated in presence of disciplinary committee. If the students repeated the offense, she is effectively suspended for 3 years with the removal of her mobile on the spot.

"Confiscating or destroying the product isn't the solution," said college faculty member Dr. Eiman. "It's not about the product it's about conduct. We can't stop the development of technology but we can develop human behavior. But to treat those using mobiles with cameras like those misusing their mobile cameras, is itself bad conduct and unjust."

Last month the ministries of interior, commerce and industry, communications and information technology and finance separately submitted to the Royal Court requests for cellular phones with cameras to be openly permitted in the Kingdom.

Numerous schools in the region do not allow mobile phones either with or without cameras on the premises. This move was after students' misconduct was noted and repeated including students calling each other during class within the classroom, photographing teachers and school mates during class, as well as sending each other indecent text messages via Bluetooth.

"Why don't they make licenses for mobile cameras and for those who abuse the gadget, it does on their civil record and that's it," suggested Abu Rakan. "I like my mobile camera it allows me to snap shots of my children at any time. With a camera, by the time I run for it, the moment is gone."

"I bought my sister and wife mobiles with cameras," said Nidhal Tariq, a STC employee. "I trust them with it. The fuss that's being made about mobile cameras is ridiculous. If this is how we're going to deal with modern and developing technology, then we might as well ban cars that can cause accidents, televisions that can display indecency, the Internet that can indulge the corrupted."