North Rhine-Westphalia’s Education Minister, Dorothee Feller, has indicated openness to allowing mobile phone use in secondary schools, shifting the focus of the ongoing debate surrounding device usage in educational settings.
Speaking to the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, Minister Feller clarified that the discussions largely concern personal use of mobile phones within schools, differentiating it from their potential use as educational tools. She suggested that teachers should retain the authority to incorporate mobile devices into lessons when appropriate, highlighting their value in fostering media literacy among students.
“How can we effectively protect children from online dangers like grooming if we don’t equip them with the knowledge and skills to navigate these issues safely?” Minister Feller stated, emphasizing the importance of media competency education. While acknowledging mobile phones should remain stored away in primary schools, she advocated for more nuanced approaches in secondary schools.
Feller underscored that issues related to social media overuse, excessive mobile phone usage and youth protection are not solely matters for schools to address, but rather reflect broader societal challenges. She pointed out that students are typically awake for approximately 110 hours per week, with only 28 of those hours spent in school, implying many challenges arise outside of the learning environment.
