England as a role model
“You can’t enforce it”: teachers against cell phone ban
The German teachers’ association rejects a ban on cell phones in schools. photo
© Jens Kalaene/ZB/dpa
Many students and teachers consider smartphones to be one of the biggest problems in teaching. In England, the government now wants to completely ban cell phones in schools. A solution for Germany too?
Education Minister Gillian Keegan referred to warnings from the UN education organization Unesco that mobile devices could lead to distraction and cyberbullying and threaten students’ privacy. 29 percent of high school students reported the unauthorized use of telephones in class.
Mobile phone bans are also planned elsewhere
Great Britain is not the first country in which “mobiles” are to be banned from schools. The Netherlands had already announced a ban in July that would take effect from next year. Especially when students are on social media or using other apps during class, this distracts them from the lesson material and disrupts social interaction in the class, the reason given was. The British government also cited France, Italy and Portugal as examples.
A ban on cell phones in schools has also been discussed for a long time in Germany. Some politicians and scientists as well as the professional association of pediatricians complain that smartphones and tablets mean that children don’t spend enough time outside. At least in primary schools, cell phones should be completely banned, demanded Schleswig-Holstein’s Education Minister and CDU Federal Vice President Karin Prien in mid-August.
German teachers say no
The German teachers’ association, on the other hand, rejects plans like those in Great Britain. “You cannot enforce an absolute ban on cell phones for all age groups and the entire school area,” said association president Stefan Düll to the German Press Agency. Many parents wanted their children to be able to make arrangements at short notice, for example in the event of class cancellations.
The potential for disruption caused by smartphones is of course great, says Düll. But there was also a lot of distraction in the analogue era. Students would have completed work tasks for other subjects, written letters or done other private things. “Thoughts are free, no one can control them,” said Düll.
An “emancipated student approach” is more important. We need to think together about how to use digital devices at school. “A comprehensive, complete ban only leads to evasion and, as a result, to the harassment of young people,” said Düll. A ban on cell phones also hardly helps against digital bullying. “If you want to bully, you continue in the afternoon. Teachers can’t control that.” Online bullying must be treated and discussed on its own merits in order to then take targeted action against it.
Critical voices in Great Britain
There is also resistance in England. The planned ban is “unenforceable” and ineffective, criticized the head of the teachers’ union NASUWT, Patrick Roach. Help for parents and teachers would be more important, as the negative consequences of smartphone use are not limited to the classroom. The head of the school principals’ association NAHT, Paul Whiteman, like Düll, pointed out problems in practical implementation, for example when it comes to agreements between children and their parents.
However, it will probably be some time before a ban on cell phones is enshrined in law. The British government has also admitted this. First of all, new guidelines should be issued to encourage schools to follow the same rules.