(Regina) The Saskatchewan government is following the lead of other provinces and announcing that students will no longer be allowed to use their cellphones in class starting next school year. Some see it as a way for the government to divert attention from more pressing issues like funding for public schools.
The cell phone restriction will apply to all grades from kindergarten through high school. Some exemptions will apply for educational purposes in high school grades, as well as for students with special medical or learning needs.
Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill says cellphones too often distract students in the classroom.
“When our children are in class in Saskatchewan, we want them to devote the majority of their time, energy and focus to their teachers and their learning,” he said Tuesday.
Saskatchewan is following the lead of several other provinces – including Quebec, New Brunswick, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia – which have decided to restrict the use of cell phones in public schools.
“Parents, families and teachers in our respective provinces are all expressing their concerns about this,” said Minister Cockrill.
While some Saskatchewan schools already ban cellphones in the classroom, the minister said the goal is to create consistent rules across the province.
“It’s really hard to enforce a rule when you know that another teacher down the hall or in the next classroom isn’t enforcing the same rule,” he said, highlighting the negative impact of the devices on children’s mental health.
Cockrill added that the details of the application should be left to school boards. He said he has spoken with teachers and received feedback from the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, but has not yet consulted with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.
“More pressing priorities”
Federation president Samantha Becotte said Tuesday that while cellphones may distract students, the province’s education system faces bigger challenges.
“We have larger and larger classes. We have less and less support for students in our schools. And a ban on cell phones, or a restriction on their use, is a bit of a distraction from these bigger issues,” she said.
Mme Becotte believes students especially need more professional support, including from mental health counselors and teaching assistants, and more one-on-one time with their teachers – which goes hand in hand with smaller class sizes.
“Cellphone restrictions won’t do anything radical,” she said. However, she hopes to hold consultations with teachers and school administrators before implementing the new policy in the fall.
Matt Love, the opposition NDP’s education critic, admitted in a statement that cellphones have become a distraction in classrooms, but the bigger problem schools face is a lack of funding.
“Saskatchewan used to have the best-funded schools in the country, but under (Premier) Scott Moe, we’re now last. It’s time to properly fund our classrooms and get Saskatchewan out of last place in education,” he said.
Bernie Howe, chair of the Prairie Spirit School Board, said the change in Saskatchewan will allow staff to focus on teaching.
“It is important to take measures like these that help improve the mental well-being and academic success of our students,” he said in a ministry statement.