In an apparent fear that his parents would scold him, an eighth grade student did not go home and instead sought refuge at a mosque after school authorities confiscated his mobile phone for using it while in class.
The UAE police found student after he went missing for hours, acting on information provided by concerned individuals.
Authorities said the 14 year-old student, identified as Saeed Ahmad Salem was reported missing Monday night.
Reports said the student kept using his phone despite repeated warnings by his teachers.
“He was even using it during classes and the school administration had to seize the gadget and alert his parents about that,” Khaleej Times quoted school officials as saying in its report of the incident.
“The student did not know where to go, but later decided to head to a mosque near the school and hide there until 7pm,” authorities said.
One of his friends saw the student and reported the matter to the police.
“The family immediately informed the police that they found the missing student,” the police said.
Parents believed school officials should handle the phone issue better, while some parents , on the other hand, agreed on how the school handled the issue of phones during school hours.
