A briefing for the Department of Education on a €9 million plan to buy mobile phone pouches for schools said they were easy to use, cost effective and encouraged “equity” among students.
The document, prepared before the department’s decision to sanction €9 million to buy the pouches, said they also avoided mobiles being put “on display” which could be divisive for pupils over who had the most up-to-date device.
Six schools were contacted about their experiences of the pouches, with all of them “very positive”. The briefing said there were several solutions to curtail the use of phones, including placing them in schoolbags, handing them in at a central location each day or using a locker.
“All schools have indicated that a solution where students retain responsibility for their phones rather than placing them in a central location is preferable,” the briefing noted.
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Of the schools consulted about their use of pouches, department officials said they were paying between €14 and €27 per pouch with some buying them outright and others renting. The briefing said one school which had been an “early adopter” of pouches had been able to get them for just €11 each.
Department officials said a working estimate of €20 per pouch would lead to a cost of around €8.57 million in the first year of use. They estimated a replacement rate of about 20 per cent each year meaning there would be a further annual bill of €1.7 million into the future.
However, officials said it was likely a discount could be achieved given the scale of the purchase envisaged, although one official cautioned it was difficult to “get a handle” on costs.
“I spoke personally with several principals this week and the schemes in place are not uniform, and it seems have changed a lot in a short time in pricing and sales models,” one official said.
The department briefing also said that in every school where pouches were used so far, the costs had ultimately been borne by parents.
It also said that experiences to date showed “full buy-in” from teachers, parents and pupils was needed. The briefing said there were variations with some principals allowing mobile use during breaks or where students were allowed to leave the school complex for lunch.
“All were adamant that even though there may be efforts to subvert the use of the pouches, they removed possible areas of conflict from school life,” it said. Three of the principals who used the system described it as “transformational”.
“They were enthusiastic and convinced fully about the impact on students’ school experiences, the atmosphere in school [and] the embedding of the phone-free culture.” They also reported an increase in social interaction, and sports and club activity after their introduction.
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