The government agreed that smartphones should be banned in all schools, even outside school, for all school-age children, reports The Mirror.
Ministers have unanimously approved new guidance on banning smartphones in schools, introduced by Education Minister Norma Foley yesterday.
The proposals provide strong political support for schools that want to ban the use of devices in schools, and call on parents to extend the ban to young children’s activities outside school hours.
The Department for Education has produced new guidance for parents, which is now available online and will also be issued to all primary schools.
If Minister Foley’s proposed code of conduct is widely adopted, there could be a voluntary ban on the sale of smartphones to every child attending primary school – with parental guidance, reports The Mirror.
The proposed ban was first revealed in an exclusive report by the Irish Mirror last week.
A source close to Minister Foley said he was taking the ban plan to the Cabinet because he wanted to send the message that his proposal has “whole of Government backing,” reports The Mirror.
As a former teacher, Ms. Folio wants government presence because she understands it would help principals and school boards if they had “heavy political support” when trying to implement such bans.
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