The Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, Mr. Paul Crone, has highlighted the importance of a collective effort involving students and parents in creating a mobile phone policy in schools. His response was prompted by reports suggesting that the Education Minister, Norma Foley, intends to encourage secondary schools to ban the usage of mobile phones during school hours by students.
In an interview with RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr. Crone underlined the need to instil responsible usage and restraint when it comes to mobile devices. He emphasised that developing skills such as collaboration, communication, self-management, and critical thinking – key skills learned during the junior cycle, can prepare students effectively for university and future life scenarios.
Decisively, Mr. Crone mentioned the inevitability of students owning mobile phones and suggested that, in partnership with students and parents, rigorous policies can be established to restrict their usage during school hours.
Measures towards making childhood “smartphone-free” have seen considerable advancements in recent years, particularly due to voluntary bans imposed outside of school hours by primary schools and parents’ associations, as reported by Ms. Foley. She further urged the development of a “culture of non-acceptance” of mobile phones within secondary schools.
Furthermore, while acknowledging that the formation of a policy is not an immediate process, Mr. Crone pointed out positively that most secondary schools have had sturdy policies in place for a considerable period. This, he states, means that it won’t be a start-from-zero task.
Fairly commenting on Ms. Foley’s initiative, Mr. Crone reflected back to the time prior to the ICT grant when schools began their digital journey. Those schools had policies encouraging the BYOD (bring your own device) methodology, which allowed students to bring iPads or laptops, and often, a mobile phone.
With the ICT grant now at our disposal, educational institutes find themselves better equipped to establish necessary infrastructure and perhaps procure digital devices. Moreover, parents are also purchasing such devices. As principals and school heads, our primary requirement is assurance about the continuity of the ICT grant, which would facilitate our ongoing progress.
Further, this would also eliminate the necessity of teachers instructing students to utilise their mobile phones for research – the resources required for this purpose would already be present within the school. This provision would lend significant support to schools in their endeavour to eliminate the need for mobile phones on campus.