Principal writes petition to ban phones in schools

Katharine Birbalsingh, principal of Michaela High School in Wembley, London, England, and 30 other prominent education experts in the UK recently wrote a letter to the UK Department of Education, asking authorities to introduce stricter regulations around students using phones in schools.

The letter was sent to Ms. Bridget Phillipson, the UK Education Secretary. In the letter, Ms. Birbalsingh and education experts asked the authorities to officially ban students under 16 from using phones during the school day.

Ms. Katharine Birbalsingh is the principal of Michaela High School located in Wembley, London, England (Photo: DM).

From their own experience, Birbalsingh and other experts have found that cell phones have a worrying negative impact on students. Cell phones directly affect their ability to concentrate, their academic performance, their health and their mental health.

Ms. Birbalsingh hopes that schools will become places where students can completely escape the influence of their phones, so that they can truly learn, play, and interact with teachers and friends.

Some statistics at schools in the UK have shown that banning the use of phones in schools can help students improve their academic results.

Currently, the ban on students using cell phones is only implemented locally by some schools, based on consensus between the school, parents and students.

In fact, statistics show that in schools that ban students from using cell phones during the school day, students' high school graduation exam results are better than in schools that do not impose this ban.

Not only that, but schools that ban cell phones during the school day also have fewer incidents of school violence. Students in these schools actively participate in more physical activities.

In the US, 13 states have laws banning students from using phones during school hours. In the UK, 11% of secondary schools have laws restricting students from using phones in school.

Notably, this year, Eton High School, a prestigious boarding school in England for boys, proactively distributed "brick" phones with only calling and texting functions to 13-year-old students - the youngest group of students in the school.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/hieu-truong-viet-don-de-nghi-cam-han-dien-thoai-trong-truong-hoc-20241012155940739.htm