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

This policy won't see the light of day. Children have and use smart phones. Time to move on.

The purpose is understandable, the price is not.

I got to check out one of those in person, they're just a fabric sack with a mechanism similar to what supermarkets put around the necks of alcohol, you slot them against a magnet and they unlock.

This crap shouldn't be worth more than €1 to produce. Corruption again.

Most parents in Ireland are abusing their children so if that's what you think.

There are parents and it's growing all the time who won't let their child have a smartphone until secondary school parents have to support each other in this till it becomes the norm.

In secondary school, parents do not need to contact a child unless it is an emergency it might be good for both the child and parents not to be in constant contact.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jun/03/much-easier-to-say-no-irish-town-unites-in-smartphone-ban-for-young-children

I shouldn’t laugh as I can sense the frustration, but it’s just so unbelievably silly, that I’m more bemused by the whole thing than being at all bothered by it.

Nobody’s getting any contract or brown envelopes, the funds to purchase whatever solution the school identifies as necessary is going directly to the school:

“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.

I’m guessing the sort of pouches they’re thinking of that would cost €20 are not the sort of pouches that can be purchased on AliBaba or wherever for less than 50 cents a piece.

Or, maybe they are and this is just another pie in the sky colossal waste of public funds on yet another hairbrained scheme that in reality simply requires the enforcement of existing rules in schools around the use of mobile devices in the classroom.

When I went to secondary it was basically leave them at home. No lunch times/etc.

However because of kids walking to and from school people will say they need their phones for security.

I fully support this and im pretty sure Jonathan Haidt would also. Just look at anxiety and depression statistics with young people over the last 20 years. This is a step in the right direction, whether its the best way to spend 9 million - who knows but something needs to get done.

I cant believe people actually have an issue with it. It could be one of the best investments the country makes.

After school, the child can do what they like with their phone it's only between 9 and 4 that they won't have their phone.

The f**K

A circular to request that phones can't be in schools costs nothing.

This is money for a connected individual. Nothing else

I disagree. Just because children use smart phones doesnt make it a good thing in light of the mental health stats over the last 20 years. Have a look at the research by Jonathan Haidt. Some parts of the US are starting to catch on to this idea of phone lockers due to worsening anxiety and depression in young people. I think its great to see it getting traction here.

I walked to and from school and never needed them for security? Heck, they're less safe as theyd get distracted by shiny screens rather than traffic, dogs, idiots trying to abuct them etc. Plus, it's one less thing to be robbed from them.

Times change unfortunately tough.

I never said it needed to be a smart phone tough.

Whatever the US does it is normally the wrong thing.

With regard to the 16 year old, this is pie in the sky. The ship has sailed. This is a debate from 20 years ago.

Children under 16 have and use phones. Most of them are fine. Some children will get obsessed with their phone just like some adults are obsessed with their phone. Most children won't.

Children just keep their phones in their bags on silent where schools have "banned" them.

the problem is kids are distracted by using tik tok or social media during school hours , maybe someone could invent an app that disables all other apps from 9 am til 3.30pm monday to friday and only a teacher or parents have the password.ie they can still txt or use the phone in case of emergencys . i don,t know if 9 million is a reasonable amount as teachers will have to be trained pouches setup in 100s of schools around the country

The child will just say he or she doesn't own a phone and keep it in their bag.

This policy is so completely ridiculous and intelligent people seem to think it's a good idea.

I don't think kids should have smartphones before the age of 14 , as apps like TikTok and YouTube are addictive . I don't think there's proof that smartphones are negative or bad for teens over the age of 16 if there's proper parental supervision of what apps they use Instagram now has a teen mode with parental control .schools can send a form to parents does your child have a smartphone. Or a old style mobile phone with no apps

I know I can be as thick as a plank but why not a plastic box in a class and phones placed in as kids enter. Most kids and even some adults will recognise their own phone.

Or even a roll of sticky labels and write name on before putting in box.

GrGranted it might only be 10 grand per school as per a previous post but that could go a fair way towards supplying craft stuff or even food or sports gear etc.

This is just another example of politicians with no cop on whatsoever and seemingly not answerable to anyone.

Poor wee Johnny can't have a phone for 7hours during the day. How will he cope?

Teaching is hard enough without kids having the added distraction of their phone. Just shrugging and saying 'that's what it is' doesn't help. There's only so far you can go as a teacher to enforce discipline and that's before you get to the hysterical parents who insist their child needs a phone or the apathetic ones who don't back up classroom discipline. An all-out ban is the way to go.

FWIW, I understood from that article that €9m was being allocated for solutions and phone pouches were one of the examples Foley was giving; NOT that all that money was going to be spent directly on phone pouches. But that's not going to get as many clicks now, is it?

There is Clár funding available for schools to use for solar panels but the department and patron bodies won't allow schools apply

And have parents sign policy agreement on day1.

Phone use =Suspension.

I reckon the first tiktok video solutions will be out before the pouches.

"Everyone was amazed at this simple pouch lock hack!".

Followed by TEMU ads for:

"Pack of 10 dummy fones for $2.97"

The Headline is misleading the 9 million is for "solutions". Phone socks been touted as one of them.

The individual schools have to come up with the solutions and verify they work.

A load of vague bollíx being pushed back onto the schools.

It's basically Norma saying she has identified a "problem" here is 9 million it's up to ye to fix it.

The Indo should really write an article about that instead of rattling jimmies with rage bait articles.