Ban on mobile phones in schools would be 'hard to implement'

Vivienne Clarke

The general secretary of the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), Michael Gillespie has warned that it could be difficult to introduce a blanket ban on the use of mobile phones in schools.

It was obvious that there are issues with mobile phones, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland. “If they're banned, it will reduce cyberbullying, the inappropriate use of social media in schools. And it would reduce distractions and enhance social interaction between students.

“So there are advantages, but there's also disadvantages.”

A ban would be difficult to introduce as there, were lots of schools that do not have digital devices, which could lead to students missing educational opportunities, he said.

“Smartphones can be a valuable educational tool. There's lots of access to a wealth of information, educational apps, and therefore there's a lack of digital literacy if you don't have a device.

"So schools that have devices have an advantage here, and not all schools have devices. So this is where you've got this equity issue.

“There was a digital strategy to 2027 introduced with supposedly €200 million available, our Principals and Deputy Principals Association just wrote to the minister looking for that to be reinstated because all that was ever paid and that was the first €50 million.

"We need, in conjunction with any ban, we need to make sure there is equity, that all students across the board have access to these devices. Because it's really important for educational opportunities, for digital literacy that everybody has access to something.”

A school by school approach would work, said Mr Gillespie. “Schools that have digital devices have an advantage already and parents buy into it. It's very important that everybody buys into it, including the students.

"So that's why I would say they have it as part of their code of positive behaviour. And as I said, parents can buy into it. But as I said, the key thing here is that we're not disadvantaging anybody because of the lack of digital devices in schools.”

Mr Gillespie said he was not against a blanket ban, but it needed to be introduced in conjunction with the previously promised digital strategy.

“It would be good if a ban came in because it would give it a statutory function. So schools will be in a stronger position where there is difficulties. So we will be in support of it, but only if there's equality across the system.”