(Quebec) The Legault government is considering banning cell phones in schools when renewing the “screen strategy”. A reflection is underway.
“On the screens, there is a strategy, as you know. This strategy must be renewed. We are considering this,” said Minister of Education Bernard Drainville at a press briefing on Tuesday.
“It’s a subject that is very important, we recognize it. We didn’t wait to act, we banned cell phones in classes. Should we go further, we are thinking about it, we will get back to you on that,” he added.
He was reacting to the request of the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who urged him to act in this direction. “What happens at school is the school’s responsibility. It won’t make me any younger, but there was a time when there were Game Boys that were a lot less addictive than what we have today in social media. But, at the time, it was a formal ban on bringing these technologies to school, then it went without saying,” he said at a press briefing in the morning.
The exemplary nature of the State
“At a minimum, the government, the school, the State must set an example and provide conditions for children that give them a chance to be healthy and not have a learning delay, because reports everywhere in the world are quite clear on the consequences,” said the PQ leader.
He also believes that parents must be “equipped” and “supported” to guide them on the use of screens with children.
Bernard Drainville, for his part, has always repeated that banning screens in schools, which includes digital tablets, for example, is excessive, because students must become familiar with these technological devices that are part of our lives.