Mobile phones to be banned in Victorian state schools from ‘first to last bell’

A ban on mobile phone use in Victorian public schools aimed at curbing distraction and cyberbullying has divided opinion among teachers and students.

Education Minister James Merlino said the ban, which would be in place during school hours in state primary and secondary schools, would start in the first term of 2020.

Phones must be kept in school lockers from first bell to last bell unless a child needs to keep a phone for medical reasons or if there is a specific instruction from the teacher that the phones are needed for a classroom activity.

The policy may not be universally popular, Mr Merlino said, but it was the “right thing to do”.

Mr Merlino said teachers wanted children talking to each other in the schoolyard, not checking their phones.

“Teachers are constantly asking kids to put their phones away. This is common sense,” he said.

It’s not going to [absolutely] resolve cyberbullying but it will make a big difference.

“We cannot stamp it out. It is going to occur. But we can take some real steps to reduce the level of

The Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals president Sue Bell said taking phones away from students would not teach them to manage their phone use.

She said phones were used by students for important reasons, such as calendars to work out assignment due dates and class locations and times.

“I think it’s going to cause lot of grief,” she told ABC Radio Melbourne.

“We don’t want teachers in conflict with students. Some students will want the ban, but many won’t.

“I’d rather have teachers in front of the class teaching and inspiring learning rather than standing at the door having students turning out their pockets.”

‘Education should come first’

Melbourne teenager Adam agreed with the ban and said students at his school snuck phones into class.

“Education should definitely come first in my opinion,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.

“I know education will depend on my job when I’m older, so I don’t want to fail.”

Bundoora principal Ann Marie said students in her school were the ones who had agreed to mobile phone restrictions during school hours.

“Students said it was things to do with bullying, distraction and one-upmanship,” she told ABC Radio Melbourne.

“Because there’s some students who can afford very expensive phones and others who can’t afford any.

“The students were the ones who said, everyone needs to get refocused on their learning and to only use mobile phones as a tool.”

Schools with ban say they’ve seen improvements

Mr Merlino said the Government could not impose the ban on non-government sector [such as] Catholic and independent schools.

A number of private schools have already banned the use of phones and McKinnon Secondary School, a government school in Melbourne’s bayside has enforced a ban since last year.

Principal Pitsa Binnion believes students at the school have become more entrenched in their studies as a result.

“Our students are more focused learners in the classroom without this distraction,” she said.

“[Since the ban] we have observed improved social connections, relationships and interactions in the school during lunchtime.”

Asked how the ban would be policed, Mr Merlino said he would issue a ministerial order making it “absolutely clear” for schools.

He said schools embrace technology in the classroom and they want kids to be digitally literate but mobile phones “enable” cyberbullying.

The Liberal National Coalition promised to impose a ban as far back as February 2018, with former Liberal leader Matthew Guy now tweeting: “I guess policy imitation is the greatest form of flattery.”

Opposition spokeswoman Cindy McLeish welcomed the ban but criticised the Government for not adopting it sooner.

“[Premier] Daniel Andrews ruled out blanket bans and said it’s not for us to be directing schools, and he’s completely flip-flopped and they’ve nicked the Coalition’s policy,” she said.