The initial fear of the ban, apparently, was not proved, according to Frei Shikma, a representative of the Vo-Raad council for secondary education, representing schools and management councils.
“Initially, there were quite a few protests on the part of schools, teachers, students, parents, questions about how all this will work,” he said. “However, now you can see that in fact everyone is quite happy.”
Studies also show that in extraordinary schools where exceptions can be provided with learning tools, about half reports that the ban has a positive or very positive effect. In elementary school, the previous smartphone was not very influential to the ban, but a quarter of the school welcomed this policy positively.
Mariel Paul, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, said that national guidelines help to maintain discipline in the classroom.
“Teachers and director said that if a teacher prohibits mobile phones in his class individually, this almost always causes debate,” Paul explained. “Teachers who are still less experienced often experience difficulties with supporting such a ban.”
The Dutch statistical agency reported that 96 percent of children get access to the Internet almost every day, mainly through their mobile phones. Last month, the government temporarily suggested that parents prohibit social networks for children under the age of 15 and limit the screen time, while a member of the parliament proposed a complete ban on smartphones at the school.
