LAST UPDATE | 2 Oct 2024

TEACHERS HAVE CRITICISED the government’s decision to allocate €9 million in the Budget for equipment to store students’ phones during the school day.

Schools will be able to choose the type of storage they spend the money on, with some options including ‘pouches’ with special locks or electronic lockers, but critics have suggested the money could have been better spent on other pressing needs in schools.

The Department of Education intends to have the measure rolled out before the end of the 2024/2025 school year, The Journal understands. 

The idea is that students can still have the phone on their person so that parents can contact them on their way to and from school but that the student is prevented from using the phone during school hours. 

Once the phone is put into the pouch or other storage system, it is sealed and can only be opened by the school, which will be done at the end of the school day.

Some teachers and parents have been critical of the decision, suggesting the money could be spent better elsewhere – and that teenagers will find workarounds to the phone restrictions.

John Boyle, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, which represents primary school teachers, said it “beggars belief” that the allocating for storing phones was “prioritised over the real needs of our cash-strapped schools”.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) said in a statement that schools are in a worse position to tackle “the challenges posed by mobile phones” now than they would have been years ago before cuts to posts of responsibility, adding that “pastoral supports must be enhanced” to help students deal with challenges.

More money for phone pouches than the increase to primary capitation.

I don't have appropriate words to share my thoughts on that.

I'll wait for the full education run down tomorrow, but this is possibly the worst Education budget (based on highlights) in a decade. https://t.co/OTlO9xL6qw

— Trina Golden (@CatrionaGolden) October 1, 2024

€9 million for
Phone pouches. €9 MILLION EURO. I cannot even begin to voice how utterly ridiculous this is. I just can’t. How is this a top government priority. Schools screaming about SET and support and resources for years. 🤯🤯🤯

— Niamh Cullen (@dubteachernc) October 1, 2024

Instead of spending €9 million on phone pouches, it could be spent on any of the following:
- 273 SNAs
- 180 teachers
- 167 speech and language therapists
- 160 occupational therapists
- 112 educational psychologists
- 26 Dáil bike shed

— Simon Lewis 👨🏻‍🎓🎙📌✍🏽 (@simonmlewis) October 1, 2024

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, the party’s education spokesperson, said that “with schools around the country struggling to pay their bills or for basic classroom materials due to shortfalls in capitation funding, it beggars belief that the Government should squander millions on phone pouches”.

“There are plenty of other areas where the €9 million for phone pouches could be better spent, including increased investment to reduce class sizes in primary schools along with the recruitment of additional teachers and SNAs,” Gannon said.

Some schools in other jurisdictions, including in Northern Ireland, have recently introduced the use of magnetic pouches that keep the phone locked inside during the school day. 

The pouches are also used at some concerts and other events where organisers want to prevent attendees from using their phones.

‘Health and wellbeing measure’

At a press conference this afternoon, Education Minister Norma Foley said that while schools have already been doing “great work in this space”, the Department wants “a uniform approach” where there would be no access to mobile phones throughout the school day.

When asked about the €9 million cost, Foley said the Education budget almost totals €12 million and has allowed the Department to prioritise “across a variety of areas”, including access to free school books and reduced school transport costs.

She pointed to national and international studies that have highlighted the negative effects having continuous access to a mobile phone has on children.

“The €9 million is a health and wellbeing measure. It’s to improve student learning outcomes, to improve sociability and to improve mental health and student experience within schools.”

She said the pouches will cost between €20 and €30 each. The Department will begin discussions with schools on the ground, with the Minister saying there will most likely be a framework put in place that schools can draw down from.

This will see the pouches purchased in bulk, which would “reduce the cost for the schools individually”.

“It is our ambition that we will be in a position to have that scheme rolled out in the 24/25 school year,” she said, adding that the Department are “very keen” to hear if schools have other phone storage solutions that they might like to see put in place.