Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
One of the perennial arguments amongst educationalists in the 21st Century is whether mobile phones should be banned in schools.
France are the latest country to join the debate by taking the bold and sweeping step of banning all smart phones in schools and, of course, as you would expect the argument has reappeared in global news because it is a topic most people have an opinion on.
The question is simple: ‘Should mobile phones be banned in schools?’
The answer, however, is far from simple and in fact is more complex than I think most people believe.
Let’s take the legal implications, for example. Can a school legally confiscate anything? Well, yes if it breaks a clearly defined school rule but generally only for the duration of the school day and only if it has been misused. It is almost impossible to ban phones from schools entirely without searching each and every school bag that walks through the gate but that, of course, is time consuming.
Secondly, is the fact that it can be physically intimidating for some to take such a prized possession from a knuckle-dragging teen, particularly if they are a foot taller than you and built like a barn door, which introduces the moral perspective.
Is it ever right to potentially humiliate young adults in front of their peers or teachers in front of classes by putting them in this type of showdown in the first place?
The safety perspective also raises its head when we consider that parents and students feel safer when they know they have the facility to contact each other should the need arise.
The thing about banning things is that it only ever works if every single person within an organisation is prepared to fervently and robustly support it, because saying that something is banned does not automatically mean that it will be, I think prohibition demonstrates that quite effectively.
If just one person lets the ban slip then the whole thing becomes questionable and once that happens the end of the ban is effectively nigh.
The way forward with this whole policy in my opinion isn’t to ban something as a show of strength or authority, but to see new technology as an opportunity rather than a threat.
By banning smart phones outright, it suggests that young adults aren’t responsible enough to know when, or not, it is appropriate to use them, but that just isn’t the case.
If rules regarding mobile phones in school are written in consultation with parents and students alike and all involved are given the opportunity to explain their points of view on the matter then all stakeholders are involved in the decision, which ultimately make it more likely to succeed.
Some schools have got this absolutely right and students know when and where mobile use is acceptable and when and where it isn’t, with others taking it further and involving the technology in learning activities.
This type of whole school approach creates a sense of responsibility and trust in students which means the chances of the policy succeeding are significantly greater than an outright ban.
The issue of mobile phones isn’t just a case of banning them because kids are irresponsible, it is a case of teaching our young adults the responsibilities that they have regarding the technology they are in possession of because let’s be honest, bans never work and smart phones aren’t going anywhere.
