The majority of respondents in an online poll support mobile phones being banned from the classroom.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Standard contacted four Warrnambool secondary school principals about their policies and views on the issue on Tuesday, with three of the schools banning mobile phones in the classrooms. Brauer College principal Jane Boyle chose not to comment on the issue.
It comes after federal Education Minister Senator Simon Birmingham this week called for mobiles to be locked away during the school day.
The online poll attracted 565 votes with more than 83 per cent of respondents supporting the ban.
The Facebook post attracted more than 130 comments with many calling for phones to be banned from school altogether.
Ruth Barratt called for “a total ban”. “Let the kids learn to communicate face to face. While Emily Dart thinks phones should be allowed during lunch, but not in class.
Aaron Rowbottom said phones shouldn’t be allowed in class but “outside of that it’s pointless policing”.
Megan Jol said the education system has “lost the plot” and allowing phones in the playground was “destructive to a child’s wellbeing”.
Beverley Laity said students were “there to learn, not play on phones”. Naomi Giblin agreed, stating “If I’m paying school fees I want my children learning and not playing on their phones.”
Kellie Gale said phones should never be allowed. “Teach them to go to a library and use an encyclopedia, rather than cutting and pasting from the internet.”
Eveline Newman believes computers and calculators are overused at school and “nobody is using their brain like they should anymore,” she said.
Lisa Collins supports the move and said teenagers were on their phones too much. “When you go off into the big wide world of employment, most jobs won't allow staff to have their mobile phones on them,” she said.
Kalli Brown supports no phone in the classroom but said her daughter, who walked to and from school, carried a mobile to use in an emergency or if she needed to contact her parents.
Tasma Quinn said the ban was fair and “common sense finally prevails.”
Iain Macpherson said disagreed and said it wasn’t fair to the young adults who were using them.
Cameron Vince said “ban them all you like. Ain’t no one gonna stop me,” he said.