https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/minister-working-on-plans-to-ban-mobile-phones-in-secondary-schools-1663687.html
To me this is obviously a step in the right direction, but it has been obvious for many years and none of the other ministers did the obvious thing.
Schools won't enforce it, it'll be down to the parents to either get on board or not.
Some kids will genuinely need to be in touch with parents for whatever reason and they should be allowed to have a phone that takes calls and texts only. In fairness, most secondary students don't need a phone and it's a no-brainer to have them leave it at home.
I've seen the same system at a public swimming pool/spa in the UK. You have to mind the pouch, so the phone is still your responsibility, but you can't use it, while at the facility. But what problem is that going to solve in a secondary school? How many kids are using their phones during the school day anyway? If a school thinks it's worth doing, then let them. I can see value to the idea. But, forcing all schools to do it, I wouldn't be so sure about.
Or, perhaps none of the above and there's a much simpler, less detrimental solution.
Rather than detention/suspension, phones are banned and if you are found with one, teachers just confiscate it and give it back at the end of the day.
When I was in school, things were confiscated all the time. In fact if I remember correctly, if you were caught on a mobile phone in class you had it taken from you.
Slippery slope cycle of death avoided.
Ban mobile phones and every child will have a smart watch. What then? Ban watches?
The media are deplorable in this regard. The usual lazy vox pop shite every year about school being too expensive, uniforms etc..
Maybe. . If she was to also get rid of school homework as an positive incentive for pupils to give up using their phones while at school . . . A kinda fringe benefit.
Plodde #60 Kites will be getting entangled and crashing to the ground in a heap of confusion until election date announced and then forgotten.
They’ve implemented a phone ban in our secondary school last year. All students put phone in a pouch which locks (Ponder I think they are called). Pouch is put on desk in first class or assembly and teacher checks it locked. Only way to open during the day is via the office. Sure you had some who bring second phone but seemed to be less and less over time. Anyone caught with a phone it was taken off then and only returned to them in a 30 mins slot to the parent and kid. School finishes 3.50 and slot is 4.15 , so student had to wait around. My own nephew got caught on a Monday and his parents refused to collect until the Friday so he learned her lesson. You need parents to support it
Sounds like hurricane season for kites is on the way … up to a November election anway
A kite flying exercise.There will be huge opposition to banning mobile phones.A ban would have to include connected devices and that is impracticable
All about grabbing media headlines
Then leaving it up to the schools to figure it out
Same with school meals
School books
Not practical and also illegal.
I think a pilot scheme shuld be rolled out starting with teachers and TDs to see how it would work in practice. It could then be rolled out to other areas in the public and civil service and public buildings.</sarcasm>
She's an idiot.
She said great progress has been made by primary schools and parents’ associations to make childhood “smartphone-free” by introducing voluntary bans outside school time in recent years.Ms Foley said it was now time to establish a “culture of non-acceptance” of mobile phones at second level schools.
She said great progress has been made by primary schools and parents’ associations to make childhood “smartphone-free” by introducing voluntary bans outside school time in recent years.
Ms Foley said it was now time to establish a “culture of non-acceptance” of mobile phones at second level schools.
Voluntary bans outside of school are hardly what's envisaged for secondary though? So how effective will a secondary level ban actually be?
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2024/08/21/minister-plans-mobile-phone-ban-across-second-level-schools/
There was an article in daily mail UK it said up to 3 hours gaming per day is fine good for your mental health I think it's abit ridiculous to say no gaming allowed till puberty is over people have been playing games since the PlayStation one in the 90s it's probably no worse than watching TV I don't think every child needs a smartphone with 24,,7 internet acess some schools in America put phones in lockers while students are in the classroom to minimize distractions
My kids schools implement no phones.
In primary, the kids with parents agreement get a phone when they finish 6th class.
In secondary,they get a pouch which is locked in the morning and opened when they finish school. Sporadic checks are done along the 1600 kids.
Shame this visionary didn't foresee the errors in the Leaving Cert grading.
School my child in has rule no phones in school premises/grounds if seen it will be taken off you. I expected all schools like this.
Suprise me how my teacher friends can reply to messages during day.
Balance hard, 'no technology for children' - almost as much available via TV as phones. Difficult keep them off/away from everything.
I think we'll look back on smartphone use the same way as underage smoking, and people saying it's unenforceable probably have a horse in the race, as the little screen is keeping their "angle" occupied.
Definitely not a visionary but she definitely is "something". What that is, I cannot say without upsetting people and getting banned. She does have great shoulders and throat area god bless her.
VVery scary concept that the parents are not taking the responsibility to not only but supervise the nutrition of their kids. Also meal times are important for learning social etiquetteitte and manners from family. Teaches kids the state is responsible for their food.
Very Good points there; she's just a typical Fianna Fail politician and wasn't her father one of the Ansbacher Account cowboys, but hey- make her a minister and she'll throw money at something and launch another thing and build another yoke and... no, not a visionary and most likely to get promoted
A solution might be to provide lockers for kids like are in many second level schools across the world, also in many businesses and workplaces…FOB wristband to open them so you are not worried about lost keys etc…wristband lost, just reprogram a new one and charge a fiver or whatever cost.
The challenge would as I see it be twofold….the cost of the lockers, also the logistics of attaining space in already overcrowded and also many small antiquated buildings across the country ….
Norma Foley is a terrible minister, no visionary, and not inspiring, needs to be cast into the ether.
She hasnt tackled any of the big issues e.g.
- the influence of religious organisations in Irish education.
- under performing schools.
- making the Teaching Council fit for purpose (has never upheld a parental complaint in its history.)
- child protection deficiencies e.g. it not being mandatory for schools to follow her Departments child protection 'guidelines".
Do you not like her barcode fringe?
Not sure on mobile tech but maybe some sort of denial of service signal jamming except for staff on school grounds? Don't know if practical or not.
my school could in the mid 2000’s - schools have gone a bit soft and parents have gone even softer (from my limited observation).
Phone in the bag, silent, not ever out until afterschool - we all played the game, very few would chance the odd text in class. It’s very simple - I think good old confiscation is the way to go - but I suppose some knobber parents would kick up about their little angels 1100 euro iPhone being taken.
Apologies..my question was to the poster saying a system like it was implemented in youthreach, trades etc ...I'm nearly sure I quoted that post but I must be wrong
Problem is they can't come down hard on continuous behaviour way worse than just bringing a phone to school.
It's a question of norms. If it becomes normal practice that phones are put away in lockers during school hours, then largely everybody will accept that. The idea of reward, might be a good incentive for everyone to buy in.
I think in the era of on the fly content creation and instant access to social media that schools need to come down hard on phones across the board.
There is no need for anyone to have a phone on their person in school.
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