Nearly a year after the statewide ban on mobile phones in schools, it has been overwhelmingly praised as a success by close to 1,000 school leaders. Principals express their relief at being able to “protect a whole generation” of children from the distractions and addiction associated with screen time.
Year 11 Ashfield Boys’ High School students and soccer championship winners Isaiah Cham, Joe Dempsey-Martin, Ali Abilba and Zac Argiratos revealed that they used to spend as much as five hours a day on social media and gaming on their phones before the recent ban.
“For the first couple of days you’re kind of stumped – you don’t know really know what to do (during breaks without phones),” Zac told The Daily Telegraph.
“You’ve got this extra hour in your day, so what do you fill it up with? It took us a couple of days to realise we have a field.”
In a survey conducted by the Department of Education involving 968 primary and high school principals, an impressive 95 percent supported the mobile phone ban at their schools.
When asked about its effects on students, 87 percent of the 204 secondary school principals surveyed noted a reduction in classroom distractions, with 68 percent stating the situation had improved “a lot.”
Social interactions among students have also seen positive changes, according to 86 percent of principals, and more than half reported that student learning has become “a lot better” since the ban was implemented.
Overall, four out of five principals observed improvements, while only 19 percent indicated no change, reported a decline in student learning, or chose not to respond.
Source: The Daily Telegraph.
