France to ban mobile phones in schools

The French Ministry of Education has announced that it will ban the use of mobile phones in primary and secondary schools across the country, calling it a matter of "public health".

“Sometimes you need a phone for study reasons or for emergencies. However, their use must be controlled in some way,” Jean Michel Blanquer, France's education minister, told RTL radio.

The man said the ban will come into effect from the next school year (September 2018). Accordingly, students will be allowed to bring phones to school but will not be allowed to use them even during breaks. This measure applies to all students aged 6-15.

Mr Blanquer said the ban was also a “public health message to families. It would be good if children did not use phones regularly, or even look at smart devices, before the age of 7”.

However, the French Head Teachers' Federation expressed skepticism about the ban. Philippe Vincent, deputy secretary general of the French Head Teachers' Federation, stressed that the new announcement from the French Ministry of Education leaves people unclear about how to handle and enforce it.

Outside a school in central Paris, students were also confused by the new ban. “I don’t understand how it will work. Who will take the phones? Where will they put them? How will we get them back?” said a 13-year-old boy.

At another school, Mathilde, 12, said: “It’s ridiculous. We don’t use our phones in class or during breaks, so what’s the problem? If someone is caught using their phone in the toilet or at lunchtime, it gets taken away and they get in trouble.”

Meanwhile, Sabine, a parent, commented: "It might be a good idea when the kids are at school but they can't ban them from bringing their phones to class. My daughter has to go to school by herself. So I want her to bring her phone so I can have peace of mind."

This woman added that instead of banning, could a signal blocking device be installed in schools?

Alongside the new ban, Mr Blanquer also suggested that schools install more phone lockers, although many downtown schools have very few of these.

However, according to Vincent (a parent), this move will cost the government a lot of money.

“Are we turning schools into giant lockers? By my calculations, 5,300 public schools with an average of 500 students per class need about 3 million lockers,” he said.

Additionally, parents' groups say any ban would pose a huge logistical problem.

“How will schools sort the phones? And how will they ensure they are returned to their owners at the end of the school day?” said Gerard Pommier, head of the Federation of Parents in Public Schools.

Education officials are studying how to enforce the cell phone ban.

“In ministerial meetings, we put our phones in a cabinet before entering the room. For me, this can be done with any group of people, including a classroom,” the French education minister stressed.

This man also supports the application of school uniforms but believes that this does not need to be applied nationwide.

He also announced that every school should have a choir by January 2019. According to Le Parisien, the government would have to spend 20 million euros to implement the idea. Government officials said that participation in the choir is voluntary and “complementary to compulsory music lessons.”

According to Zing