Education Ministry Proposes Nationwide Phone Ban in Schools

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan's education ministry has proposed a bill that would force schools to limit students' access to mobile phones during school hours. The bill has widespread support, though some are concerned about how the ban might be implemented.

Transcript

00:00The time between classes is a brief window for students to hop on Instagram or get in

00:09a few rounds on their favourite mobile game, but having constant mobile phone access at

00:14schools in Taiwan could soon be a privilege revoked.

00:20Taiwan's education ministry has submitted a draft bill that would mean stricter regulations

00:25on students using phones in schools from September.

00:29Lawmakers agree that phones are having a negative impact on young people's education,

00:34but say any solution needs to include their perspectives too.

00:37The management of mobile phone service should be able to help students in schools, but

00:44it can't make a change in schools, so to respect students' voice, we hope that the teachers

00:51will continue.

00:53As it stands, the draft bill will force elementary and junior high schools to collect and store

00:58all students' phones for the entire school day.

01:02For senior high schools, they'll need to formulate their own smartphone policies after consulting

01:06with teachers, parents and students.

01:09Students will only be given access to their phones in case of an emergency or if it's

01:14needed for educational purposes.

01:16The proposed changes are welcomed by many, though some are concerned about how they'll

01:21be implemented.

01:22Well, I think it's a great idea, but with most things like this, the devil is in the details,

01:29and actually executing it is going to be a challenge.

01:33These are very expensive devices that you're separating from their owners, which leaves the

01:37issue of liability there.

01:39The school where I'm currently employed has already banned cell phones, but students still

01:45do find a way to get them and use them in class.

01:48And while many students agree phones can be a distraction, particularly for younger children,

01:53some senior high schoolers say they could be losing a valuable learning tool.

01:57Some things you don't have to be able to use in the books or ask the teacher, and you

02:06can ask the students so many people.

02:08So you need to find a way to find a way to find a way to find a way to find a way to find

02:10yourself.

02:11For me, I think that high school is probably able to be able to use a mobile phone.

02:15But in the middle of the world, I think I would still recommend not use a mobile phone.

02:21If passed, Taiwan would join a growing list of countries with some form of phone ban in

02:33schools including China, Australia and many across Europe as education officials the world

02:39over turn on to the idea of getting students to turn these off. Chris Ma and Rhys Ayers

02:45in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.

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