The Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday announced new draft guidelines for cellphone use in schools below college level, with stricter regulations for lower grades and flexibility for schools or classes to set their own rules.
A “centralized management” approach would be adopted for elementary and junior-high schools under the Guidelines for Management of Mobile Device Use in School Campuses Below Senior High Level (高級中等以下學校學生攜帶行動載具到校管理原則).
Schools or individual classes would manage rules, but with details subject to approval by school boards.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
As students are minors, parents and guardians would still bear legal responsibility for their behavior and safety, the guidelines say, adding that students would need permission from a legal guardian to bring a mobile phone or similar device on campus.
High schools would have more flexibility, allowing students, parents and teachers to jointly decide on management methods, including when phones can be used on campus.
High-school students have “self-management abilities” and may bring devices on campus in accordance with school regulations, although schools are encouraged to inform parents of the rules, the ministry said.
The student group EdYouth said in a statement that device usage should only be controlled during class time to avoid overregulation.
The ministry said that devices must be turned off or switched to airplane mode and stored away during class hours, except when used for educational purposes or emergency situations.
Although technology can be used to accelerate learning, there must be a balance to avoid overreliance on personal devices, the harmful effects of social media and addiction, it added.
In other education news, MOE officials said they would consider shifting three days around on the academic calender next year, after receiving feedback from parents.
Parents’ groups have said that a new semester calendar for elementary schools up to high schools showed that the winter break would be between Jan. 21 and Feb. 10 next year, with school beginning on Feb. 11.
However, three days later, the students would be off for the weekend, followed by Lunar New Year’s Eve on Monday, Feb. 16, and then the Lunar New Year holiday until Feb. 19.
Parents said they wanted to eliminate the three intervening days, Feb. 11 to 13, to have consecutive days off, making it easier to plan holiday trips.
Ministry officials said they would collect feedback to make the adjustment, with one option being to shift the three intervening days, to hold classes on Jan. 21 to 23, at the start of winter break.
The summer break for students would be 60 days, from July 1 to Aug. 28, it said.
Additional reporting by Rachel Lin
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