€9 million to be spent on “electronic pouches for schools”

Raichų

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/scandalous-waste-of-money-government-to-spend-9m-on-pouches-to-lock-away-mobile-phones-in-schools/a2041840537.html

Oh give me strength. The tiger has truly awoken.

9 MILLION EURO for some bloody phone pouches because Norma foley doesn’t like kids having phones? Fcuk off mate. Just get the fcuk. I am actually beyond livid. What a disgrace

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058371651/9-million-to-be-spent-on-electronic-pouches-for-schools

of all the things we waste money on, spending to ensure that kids arent messing around on phones while they are at school seems pretty sensible.

downtheroad

I just read a tweet that the triple child benefit for newborns that is to start in January, will now be made available to anyone who has already a child in December.

Now the November parents will be complaining. If they get the bonus, the October parents will complain.

This government seem to have opened a blank chequebook, and people will still find ways to complain.

This is it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058371651/9-million-to-be-spent-on-electronic-pouches-for-schools

A well put together, coherent argument. Well done 😂

Raichų

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677121#Comment_122677121

and what’s wrong with school bags and lockers?
or here’s an idea: if you want to give your child a phone, be fcuking responsible and parent the child.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677121#Comment_122677121

Agreed.

But the kids will just but cheap old phones in the pouches, and keep their real ones out of sight.

Signal blockers would be a better use of the cash.

Deebles McBeebles

Gas. They will spend like lunatics until the next GE in case anyone else might gain some power. Once back in power, which is inevitable in our de facto one party state, they will blame us for wanting too much and tell us to cut our cloth accordingly.

Cluedo Monopoly

The tax haven windfall will end some day and our public services will still be utterly ****. Then what. You'd have to imagine that more mature democratic countries our size (e.g. Denmark) would absolutely make the most of the windfall. They had electronic health records 20 years ago for example.

Our government's best idea is to buy votes.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677155#Comment_122677155

That would be impractical and illegal.

Podge_irl

9M€ of an 11.8B€ budget going to attempt a practical solution to a problem experienced by most schools seems perfectly reasonable. People are terrible at judging large numbers - it's only about 10k€ per secondary school.

NIMAN

Theres only plastic pouches ffs.

Why is it whenever a government contract comes up, the price of things goes up exponentially?

Rubberchikken

It doesn't matter how.much or how.little.it works out per school it's still a Hugh waste of taxpayers money .

We've had the pointless overpaid bike shed, the questionable spend on a security hut and now Norma wants to hand 9 million euro to whatever bollo× will spot a soft touch and cream off a load of money fir themselves while the whole thing will prove to be unworkable and will necessitate a tribunal. 😁

Daisy 55

They're not. They're lockable and signal blocking.

Sheep Shagger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677230#Comment_122677230

Give the 10k to each school then and let them source the pouches for a lot less, am sure they'll find a home for the rest.

SuperBowserWorld

Seems like good value if it stays at that price. The kids will be a lot less distracted and less stressed. It's kind of like having a school uniform. Although, can't they just put them in an office in an envelope for a lot less money ?

They should have a kind of Sunday school for parents and kids who seem to think phones for kids are a good idea. They can all sit around bullying each other; comparing the prices of their iPhones; watching porn and self harm videos; generally just ramping up their stress, anxiety and depression levels; and waste years of their lives scrolling.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677324#Comment_122677324

“So we have provided €9m for that, for the purchase of things like pouches or whatever types of solutions that might be identified by the school, and schools will verify what those solutions might be.”

JP Liz V1

Do Dealz or Mr Price not stock?

Surely if a child has a phone, it is up to them or the parents to provide a "pouch" and store in their locker at school

SteM

Our lads school give detention after 3 warnings. You can get a warning for being late, using a phone during school hours, etc. By far the most warnings are given for phone use according to the school. We use family link to lock the phone at 9pm and unlock at 3:30pm when he finishes school, but most of the kids just can't stay off their phones during the day. This seems like a reasonible solution tbh.

My guess is when they come into our lads school, if anyone does the trick of putting an old in a pouch and they're caught using the phone it'll be detention straight away.

CramCycle

All schools add a student code of practice that is, you use a phone or one rings, you get an immediate suspension, one month, problem solved, no excuses. Not sure what a plastic pocket will do (admittedly Foley said this as an idea, not the one that had to be taken).

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677367#Comment_122677367

When I went to school.

First offers phone confiscated for a month.

2nd until the end of the term.

Third offence until the end of the year.

We'd have had smart phones later in secondary school.

Only a handful.of teachers cared tough.

These pouches will only work if teachers care and implement these policies.

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677380#Comment_122677380

Yeah, I was told the school used to confiscate phones but certain parents started complaining and kicking up a fuss about it. Brain dead stuff.

nachouser

Any parent who allows their child to have a smart phone is the problem.

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677407#Comment_122677407

When was in secondary all the local schools had these policies.

Very few teachers used take phones tough.

I think it lead to an easier life.

Pertonally I'd say a lot will drop an old phone in the pouch especially when they get to 5th year.

ceadaoin.

This seems to be a worldwide thing, the school district in the US city where I live just spent $3 million on these pouches. Kids all around the world have become little **** who can't obey the rules it seems. I blame the phones lol

My own child's school can implement a no phone policy without these pouches. They keep them in their bags or they get taken away. It works. Its not that hard.

hotmail.com

Smart phones here to stay. Children as young as 6/7/8 are going to use them.

That's it. That's life. Norma needs to get with the times.

downtheroad

Plenty of teachers on their phones during the school day

I've gotten plenty of whatsapps during school hours from teachers

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677428#Comment_122677428

Sure they can. Lots of places have also had success with dedicated storage units for phones. I don't think its outrageous to spend 0.08% of the Education budget on giving it a go.

pjohnson

I suppose something has to be done since parents refuse to parent now.

Farcical.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677514#Comment_122677514

What's wrong with a child having a smart phone?

whelan2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677334#Comment_122677334

Most secondary schools already ha e a ban on phones in place. Phone taken off pupil for a week if they're on it in school. Works perfectly, no need for pouches

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677534#Comment_122677534

I don't really get the point of it.

School's already have policy's and those who already break the rules will continue to break them.

whelan2

The 9m could have been spent better somewhere else

nachouser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677518#Comment_122677518

Um, the possibility of them ruining their life before they become adults? Give them a smart watch that allows calls. Or a dumb phone.

Raichų

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677518#Comment_122677518

nothing. When I was a teenager I had a phone. But if I used it in class I was given a €25 fine for doing so.
Same applied to smoking actually. That meant of course I had to go home and tell me mother she has to pay €25 cos I used my phone in school. Stopped me using my phone in school when she had it confiscated.

If the best solution the government can conceive of for tackling phone use amongst young kids and teens and I mean specifically problematic phone use are pouches at a cost of €9m then I don’t have much hope for the future.

The fact kids are being let to spend this much time glued to a screen is the problem here and no pouch in the world will solve it. It’s actually gotten to the point the government are intervening but my problem largely stems from how they’re choosing to do so.

I’d love to know why parents are allowing their children unregulated and unsupervised access to the internet any time they like. I’d also love to know why schools need to be given €9m to stop this craic when there’s a plethora of apps and software available for parents to control phone usage themselves. That’s before you consider they don’t need these devices.

Kids are getting away with murder now. I went to collect my kids the other day from school, a mother walking ahead of me with her toddler, who was dragging behind. Mammy said come on stop dragging Mary (can’t remember her name) and the child told her to “shut up” and slapped her mother.

If I did that to my ma I’d be dead. There wasn’t a word said to the child either. A few weeks ago driving out of an estate a child I couldn’t say was older than 10, screamed at my car “fcuk you”, “fcuk off” and gave me the middle finger. I was absolutely shocked. I saw him with his parents and I just said to them look I’m sorry to bother you, but the other day this happened and I think it’s worth mentioning to you. They were completely disinterested.

If my kids were at that I’d want to know so I could speak to them about it for one thing and ensure it didn’t reoccur. Overall point here being a child or teenager should have enough basic respect for rules that a pouch for their phone during school just isn’t required, because it hasn’t been necessary before.

Smartphones aren’t new. I’ve been using one since I was 16 & I’m in the 25-30 bracket. But it wasn’t necessary to spend 9m quid to keep me or my siblings from being glued to the thing 24/7. It’s soft parents being too scared or lazy to discipline a child.

Easier to let them sit on the phone all day and be quiet like.

whelan2

Phones were a distraction in our school. Kids always checking them. Recording in class etc, not concentrating. Phone ban was brought in over a year ago and works great. If a parent needs to contact a child they ring the school like the old days

downthemiddle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677230#Comment_122677230

22.15 euro per pupil.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677613#Comment_122677613

I doubt a smart phone is going to ruin their lives.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677155#Comment_122677155

Would be a huge safety issue to block mobile signals. It's illegal for good reason.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677657#Comment_122677657

Yeah not sure I see the problem with children stuck to a phone. It's just a change. It's not going away.

Norma Foley unnecessarily creating a moral panic about nothing.

John_Rambo

My kids school have them.

They work.

Raichų

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677762#Comment_122677762

but it does to some Teenagers. Nicole Fox is one of those.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677688#Comment_122677688

Parents want to contact their children directly now. They don't want to contact a secretary.

silliussoddius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677790#Comment_122677790

Well parents don’t run the school.

whelan2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677790#Comment_122677790

Well tough ****, them's the rules

salmocab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677780#Comment_122677780

I’ll think you’ll find that people are far beyond interest in hearing they work. It’s 9 million on plastic bags as far as the mob is concerned and not one person has asked what way they work in a school environment.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

Who's getting the contract/brown envelope?

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677780#Comment_122677780

Have you kids who'd follow the rules tough?

This is it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677790#Comment_122677790

Ah, this is bull. It's tough enough for teachers without kids messing on phones, or parents calling/texting them during a class. If there's an emergency, call the school. If it's not an emergency, text/call and they can use their phone on breaks or before/after school.

hotmail.com

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677827#Comment_122677827

Rules change. Society changes. Children having phones is one of those changes. Time to get with the times.

This is it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677868#Comment_122677868

Rules do change, and right now it's likely to be phones in a bag. Get used to it.

nachouser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122677762#Comment_122677762

You saw the word "possibility" right?