The debate on the need to regulate mobile phones in schools and, especially, in institutes reaches this Tuesday the School Council of Catalonia - the highest advisory body made up of the Administration, teachers and families - which will approve in a plenary session restricting the use of mobile phones. these devices in ESO and ban them in primary school. The proposal aims to regulate their use in secondary school and allow them at the end of ESO. The restriction of cell phones inside the centers would affect students, but also teachers and the other educational community, including families.
Without clear regulations on mobile phone use, this 2023/24 academic year has begun in many institutes with restrictions. There are more and more centers that do not allow students to have the device in class and, especially in the first years of secondary school, not at recess.
With this starting point and with the clear conviction that it is necessary to regulate its use, the School Council has long started a debate and asks the Department of Education to “establish” a “clear and progressive” regulation so that centers do not must decide autonomously, as is currently the case. That is, there must be a single criterion to apply, although with room to adapt it to the reality of each center. And they ask that it be a regulation in the entire educational field, not just in school.
The document, to which La Vanguardia has had access, specifies that “regulating does not mean prohibiting.” Even the participating students prefer to talk about protocol instead of regulations because they believe that it is more oriented towards prohibitions. 684 people from the educational community participated in the debate, of which 34% were teachers, 26% students and 24% families. It is especially teachers and families who most propose “banning” the use of mobile phones until the age of 16. To argue the restriction, reports from organizations such as UNESCO are also provided.
The conclusions of the debate maintain that regulation “must be adapted to the age or educational stage” and that the entire community must be informed and participate in the regulation. For this reason, it is pointed out that the rule must “affect” everyone: from students to teachers, including cafeteria monitors, administration staff and also families because “everyone must act in a manner consistent with the regulations.” .
According to the report, the regulation should take into account the minor's school year instead of chronological age. In addition, it is also requested that the use of images that are made and disseminated in the center be regulated.
Despite this, the document makes it clear that the educational community considers technology as a means of learning and urges education in digital culture to prevent possible abuses. Furthermore, the conclusions point out that if cell phones are prohibited, it will be necessary to regulate the use of laptops because these devices allow the same applications as phones.
