Support MOE’s phone policy
Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) on Wednesday said that from the start of the new semester in September, schools are to ban students from bringing phones or other mobile devices to classrooms, with the new rules allowing educators to collect students’ mobile devices in a centralized location on campus.
I applaud the Ministry of Education (MOE) for the move.
Student cellphone addiction has already significantly affected their academic performance — an issue that teachers are familiar with. Schools at all levels have attempted to manage the widespread use of phones among students, but these measures rarely prove successful.
Although I no longer work in education, I am genuinely happy for schools, teachers, students and parents to see the MOE — Taiwan’s highest educational authority — expressing a firm stance on this issue.
Some teachers are unappreciative of the policy, or believe that the ministry is simply placing all responsibility onto schools. At the very least, the ministry has recognized a serious problem and taken the initiative to address it. The measure should be a great assurance to schools. Schools have attempted to fix the issue on their own; now they have been given the opportunity to unite their direction and work together.
So long as the objective is clear and methods are appropriate, they are sure to achieve immediate results.
I particularly agree with Cheng’s use of the example of Australia to demonstrate the feasibility of the new policy.
Last year, Australia began implementing cellphone management on school campuses. After just one year, more than 80 percent of 1,000 surveyed principals reported that students were more focused during class and overall academic performance improved.
More than 50 percent indicated positive changes in students with previously problematic behaviors.
This serves as proof that following this path, this policy, is valuable. The ministry is sincere in its effort, so the public should offer support and affirmation.
Of course, challenges involved in implementing the policy cannot be overlooked. After all, cellphones are deeply ingrained in students’ daily lives. Enforcing the centralized management of them would not be easy.
However, so long as teachers and parents unite and collaborate, I believe that Taiwan would also see students make significant progress after just one year.
Hsu Chia-hsin
Taipei
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