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A national ban on mobile phones in schools and kura has had a mixed reaction from students at Mahurangi College.
By April 29, all schools in New Zealand will be required to have the phone ban enforced.
However, some schools such as Mahurangi College, chose to introduce the ban early.
Called “Away for the Day”, the ban means students can’t use their phones on the school premises, including during break time.
Mahurangi College deputy principal Keith Tennant says most students are accepting the phone ban.
“Term 1 is a soft approach so students can get used to the ban,” he said. “In term 2, we will strongly enforce the rule and there will be consequences if it is broken.”
The consequences will include removing the student’s phone altogether.
Tennant says there will be different approaches, particularly if a student is repeatedly caught breaching the ban.
“Phones have to be turned off, not in your pocket, not in your jacket, in your bag and are not to be taken out till the end of the day.”
Tennant says the school has no flexibility because it’s a law created by the government and Mahurangi College’s goal is the same as the government’s.
“It is all about making sure reduction in phone usage increases learning and social interaction.
Parents can apply for an exemption in special cases. For example, if a student works for emergency services and gets call-outs. These are extremely rare though and would only apply to two students at the moment.
Tennant says the phones are banned “so students focus on learning and are not distracted with their phones and can learn to interact socially with each other.”
He says he’s seen improvement with students already.
“They are now engaged, more focused and interacting with other students, playing and talking. Year 13s in the study room are also studying more, where before they would be chatting on their phones.”
Tennant says although “it’s not perfect, but better”, he expects to see more improvement in term 2.
A teacher at Mahurangi College Lori Yau said that the phone ban couldn’t come soon enough and the amount of time teachers spent asking students to put their phones away had become unmanageable.
She spoke about how the ban would “hopefully” enable students to develop better communication skills and reconnect with the reality of the world around them.
She had noticed that there had been less physical fighting.
“That’s the whole point of the ban – to try to eliminate bullying especially online.”
Head prefects, Kieran McClintock and Sienna Innes, said similar things.
Sienna felt it was a good idea for juniors.
She had noticed “no drastic change” around the school but she had seen better interaction at lunchtime.
Kieran noted that there was more focus in class, but outside the classroom, “there’s not much of a difference, because kids are still going on their phones”.
Sienna said some classes such as textiles and design needed to take photos, and she’d been told that in dance, they need to record videos of themselves.
Kieran said his phone had been useful to take photos of the whiteboard in class.
The prefects said a few students weren’t following the rules outside of class.
Kieran added that phones were useful, but the phone ban wouldn’t hurt them.
Students have their say
Aden Shaw, Year 9, said, “It’s fine in class but we should be allowed on our phones at morning tea and lunch.” He spoke about using his phone to text his family and check his timetable. He’s not coping well with the ban, he said “It’s bad because I’m going to the wrong class and I need my phone to get picked up after school.”
Ava Cranwell, Year 11 student, said she thought that the phone ban was “unnecessary” and that “teachers don’t understand that we can interact socially with phones out.” She used her phone to communicate with family and friends. Her biggest problem is that she, like Aden, needs to check her timetable to know what class she has next. “I don’t want to carry around a paper copy.”
Liam McNabney, Year 13, had a different perspective on the phone ban, stating that it would have a positive impact on students nationwide. “It will allow for better conversations,” he said. “Before the ban I used my phone for important texts and calls from my parents.” He said that he’s “coping alright” but it’s harder to stay in contact with important updates and messages throughout the day. “It’s working but I think that phones could be used as multi-function tools in class. Without this, we can’t email photos or take photos of work in class.”
