No mobile phones anymore in primary and special education classes.

No mobile phones anymore in primary and special education classes.

From next school year mobile phones are no longer allowed in class at primary schools and in special education. This applies to all primary schools in the Netherlands, but it is not yet an official ban. At secondary schools mobile phones have been a concern for longer. That is why agreements were made last summer to tackle mobile phones at secondary schools.

Lobke Vlaming, director of Ouders & Onderwijs: ‘It is good that there is now also a clear agreement for primary and special education. We are pleased that the ‘no, unless approach’ that Ouders & Onderwijs proposed earlier has now been widely adopted. However, we want an exception for students who need their phone because of their situation or disability.

Protecting Students

From the school year 2024-2025 primary schools and special education will join the agreements the Ministry of Education made in July with secondary schools. At secondary schools mobile phones will no longer be allowed in class after the Christmas break. This was announced by minister Mariëlle Paul, responsible for primary and secondary education. Paul says she wants to protect students in this way.

Poorer Performance Due To Mobile Phones

Experts have found that students perform worse when they are distracted by their phone. For teachers this often meant they had to fight for students’ attention in every lesson. Minister Paul says the new agreements ‘offer clarity for everyone’ and that it ‘gives students and teachers more peace.’

Exceptions Possible

Exceptions are possible: mobile phones may be used in class if they serve an educational purpose. Schools make their own agreements about this. Students with medical reasons or disabilities who rely on their mobile phone may continue to use it. The agreements will be evaluated next year to see if a legal ban on mobile phones is necessary.