Dear Editor,
Issues surrounding the banning of smartphones in schools continue to take centre stage. A striking concern lies in the necessity of digital technology, as prescribed in the Junior Cycle curriculum by the Department of Education, with inadequate provision of resources. Many schools are relying on students’ private purchases which impose extraordinary financial demands on families. Each student buying their own device, which might cost more than €300, results in several students unable to have proper access to such devices.
A proposal by the department for students to store their smartphones in pouches during school hours, whilst still needing them for educational tasks, presents a paradoxical situation akin to Schrödinger’s cat concept. Students are required to bring their phones for academic purposes, yet instructionally discouraged from using them in class, causing confusion and compromising the policy’s potential effectiveness.
The varying digital supporting capacity across schools, with a lack of a unified process for procurement, means that the provision of digital access is neither fair nor affordable. Schools have been left to devise their own policies, such as the costly ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) strategy. This approach potentially enhances inequality among learners and puts an unnecessary financial strain on families. Until appropriate funding and support for each student to have a digital device is provided by the department, implementing smartphone prohibitions will only compound the mounting difficulties faced by schools in effectively incorporating technology into education. Yours sincerely,
ANN MARCUS-QUINN,
Castletroy,
Limerick.
Dear Editor,
Amidst the ongoing smartphone ban dialogue, the Minister for Education’s discussion of spending €9 million on phone pouches in relation to the department’s total expenditure springs to mind. An old saying of my grandmother’s, “Take care of the millions and the billions will take care of themselves,” seems rather poignant. Yours sincerely,
DAVID CURRAN,
Knocknacarra,
Galway.
Dear Editor,
Perhaps the initiative should broaden to include public spaces such as libraries, cinemas, theatres and courthouses across the country? Yours sincerely,
MIKE MORAN.
Subject: Dublin 3
Dear Editor,
It’s rather evident that those anticipating pupils to abide by rules such as storing their mobile phones in lockers or bags, avoiding use during academic hours, lack a true understanding of the prevalent conditions in an average Irish educational institution.
Yours sincerely,
John Doyle,
Enniskeane,
Cork.