Our education system in South Africa is in trouble. No one can deny we struggle with issues such as below-par quality and poor performance from learners, and then we also sit with excessive violence.
Solving the education puzzle is a global issue. It seems, however, that more countries are trying to take radical steps to ensure children enjoy better education, and this includes banning of cellphones during school hours.
After all, you do not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that cellphones be a distraction, which leads to lower productivity. Most children sit with smartphones, having access to social media and other chatting apps.
On the other hand, many are saying such a ban is negative, as we have to flow with the times of technology.
The question remains, are phones a curse at schools or are they something beneficial for one’s intellectual advancement and self-development?
Of late, Alaska has banned cellphones from its classrooms and apparently students and teachers couldn’t be happier with the results. There have now been reports of an increase in productivity, interactivity and good study habits.
Some experts say cellphones are addictive and that learners cannot go without constantly being glued to their cellphone screens.
This is not just an issue with children. Among adults, real, tangible social interactivity is fading and becoming strained as people live more and more in a virtual world at the expense of physical contact or connection.
People generally are glued to their phones, and distractions are not just happening in classrooms, but in offices, on the roads and even within the family structure, including marriages.
Across the globe, in Australia, the Victorian government announced that mobile phones will be banned for all students at state primary and secondary schools in June this year.
The policy has been justified as a direct response to mounting levels of cyberbullying, concerns over distractions and schools struggling with discipline relating to students’ misuse of phones.
The Victorian announcement follows a French government ban on mobiles in school. The policy came into effect during the beginning of the 2018/19 school year and applies to students from kindergarten through Grade Nine.
Debates on this issue are now also taking place in Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Some schools across the US are also enacting similar policies as a way to decrease distractions among students.
It doesn’t matter where you turn, there is considerable public support for banning mobiles. But the debate rages on.
There is, after all, a call by some that teachers in even the most challenging schools can build on the ways students already use technology outside school to help them learn in the classroom.
This is part and parcel of the call for the way we educate to undergo a revolution from textbooks to virtual learning, in which mobile devices (including phones) play a critical role. Therefore, there is a feeling that such a ban is a step backwards.
If you judge the myriad reactions to the latest ban of phones in schools, some are saying that politicians should rather use their influence to empower the education sector as a whole by turning the powerful devices into genuine learning companions.
There is also the call for technology to be used to better facilitate the human experience rather than being seen as a problem. Technology is thus seen as a means to enable a richer learning experience, rather than distracting from it.
One educational expert said that if the concern is that social media will divert students’ attention, then one needs to involve students in the process to design experiences that truly engage and motivate them.
The jury is out on the tricky matter. Billions of people were educated just fine without the aid of cellphones, with life, at times, being the best classroom.
Some will argue that mobiles can help learners understand their progress, point them in the right direction and even help them discover their interests in life where they’ll achieve their full potential. Some will, however, say children are losing touch with reality.
So, are mobile phones cursed objects or a means to enable creativity, collaboration and problem-solving, thus empowering learners with essential skills in an ever-changing and uncertain world?
While many are saying phones simply distract or that young children are not psychologically mature enough to handle the responsibility of a smartphone, there is also the argument in classrooms that mobiles can facilitate group activities, creativity, and debate.
And one also cannot deny that more classrooms are built on and around IT, which means teachers need to be up to date and appeal to the students in a way that is relatable to them.
Such a move of embracing IT is a reality also happening in Boksburg. IT is seen as a means to tap into a mobile’s potential in a healthy and engaging way, making the curriculum more relevant and opening young people’s eyes to the role they can play in the future.
On whichever side you sit regarding this debate, one feels this is definitely not as clear-cut as just a blanket ban.
This a debate that is picking up speed across the world, and it should be one that is entertained within our own education sector, lest we fail to adapt to the times or fail to react to a growing danger to our children’s well-being.
