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The Ministry of Education plans to strengthen the existing framework for maintaining order in schools
A series of new, strict regulations on the use of mobile phones in schools is being launched by the Ministry of Education, strengthening the existing framework. The escalation of penalties will reach the final expulsion of those who do not comply.
According to reliable sources, students who post on social media content that exposes or mocks their classmates during school hours, will even face permanent expulsion from their school, noting that this will be the most severe of the penalties be imposed. In addition, the implementation of the mandatory delivery of mobile phones to school every day at the start of the lesson is foreseen, as a precaution, to prevent their unauthorized use.
Penalties for the possession of a cell phone on school premises will be severe: if a student is found with a mobile phone in the classroom, an hourly suspension will be imposed, and if there is a repeat suspension, the suspension will be a day. The authorities will resort to final expulsion, the “change of school environment”, in the case of incidents of bullying of their classmates. After all, the number of complaints to schools about these specific incidents has now reached alarming proportions.
It is worth noting that despite the existence of a relevant circular from the Ministry of Education from 2021, which prohibits the use of mobile phones at school as well as other electronic devices that have image and sound processing, today only a small percentage of students apply it while in the majority of schools there is “tolerance” regarding the extensive use of these devices both outside and inside the classroom.
What the Minister of Education said about the tightening of punishments in schools
The new regulations expected from the Ministry of Education regarding the stricter sanctions for students are in line with the recent statements of the minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis: “We will have to see the context of the consequences. It is an issue that we have to consider and will consider.” As he added, “we have already announced that the five-day suspension, as it used to exist, is returning to the context of consequences, the regime is changing in terms of absences and in terms of bullies, they should change the school environment more easily.”
The specific move by the Ministry of Education is going to highlight, as competent sources report, the seriousness with which it deals with the issues of safety and maintaining order within school buildings. More simply, “through strict regulations and corresponding penalties, the ministry seeks to ensure a learning environment that will be favorable for all students“, the same sources clarify.
However, there are also those who predict “possible backlash from students, as the removal of mobile phones from their daily routine may attract strong protests from them.” In any case, the Ministry of Education seems to show determination in the matter, as it considers that “strict compliance with the regulations is necessary to achieve the educational goals and promote a healthy school community”.
The current circular for mobile phones in schools
1. Students are not allowed to have mobile phones inside the school premises.
2. Students are not allowed to have in their possession mobile phones and any other electronic device or game that has an image and sound processing system inside the school premises. The corresponding equipment provided to them by the school they attend is used during the teaching act and the educational process in general and only under the supervision/supervision of the teacher.
3. In addition to the electronic devices available from the school (H/Y, laptops, tablets, interactive whiteboards, etc.), teachers may also use their own personal electronic equipment during the teaching process and for their needs, but and in the context of the educational process in general, observing the security rules and the relevant provisions on the protection of personal data of students and teachers (laws 2472/1997 (Government Gazette 50/t.A’/1997) and 3471/2006 (Government Gazette 133/ v. A’/2006).
4. It is pointed out that the posting of photos and videos with students on the websites of school units should be avoided. The photos are personal data, in accordance with the provisions of article 2 par. a ́ of Law 2472/1997, to the extent that the subjects of the data can be identified, directly or indirectly, from them.
According to article 5 of the same law, the processing and consequently the posting, storage in digital media (e.g. commemorative photos, videos and activities of school life) of personal data is permitted only when the subject of the data (the guardians of the female students -students) has given his consent. Model parental consent form regarding parental consent before storing in digital media and posting images and videos of students on school websites and blogs, as well as other useful material related to student online safety and privacy protection student data can be found on the information hub of the Panhellenic School Network “Safety on the Internet”: http://internet-safety.sch.gr/).
5. It is not allowed to use – operate security cameras in the school premises during school hours, in accordance with and under no. C/EX/2274/31.3.2011 (Government Gazette 548/t. B ́/7-4-2011) directive of the Personal Data Protection Authority and in particular article 18, par. 2, which further stipulates that the operating hours of the system they should be clearly indicated on relevant information signs so that all students and educational community bodies know that during their presence at school they are not being monitored.
PISA 2022 results for students’ use of digital devices.
Important data shed light on the results of the PISA 2022 examination on the use of digital devices by students both during and outside the educational process.
According to the findings, one in three students appear to be distracted by digital devices while attending class, while 25% have trouble concentrating due to other students using such devices.
In particular, students appear to be less distracted when they turn off notifications from social networks and apps on their digital devices during class, when they don’t have their digital devices open in class to take notes or look up information as and when they don’t feel pressured to be online and respond to messages while in class.
Having mobile phones at school clearly increases the risk of students using them for non-academic activities or being distracted by notifications.
The relationship between the use of digital devices and performance in mathematics is also of interest. Students who spend up to an hour per day on educational activities with digital devices appear to perform 20 points higher in math than their peers who do not spend time on digital devices, but this relationship becomes negative when use exceeds one hour a day. As can be seen from the above findings, the moderate use of digital devices is not essentially negative for student performance. Excessive and misuse of these leads to negative results.
In any case, it is emphasized that the OECD does not make recommendations to abolish digital devices, nor to impose penalties on students.
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Source in Greek:- https://www.protothema.gr/
