Finland, previously known for its strong performance in the PISA school aptitude tests, is looking to reverse the current declining trend and promote a focused learning environment by passing a law banning mobile phones in schools.
The Program for International Student Assessment assesses the learning outcomes of 15-year-olds in maths, science and reading. Finland’s performance peaked in 2006 but has seen a decline in results since then.
To address this, the new right-wing Finnish government’s program states that it will take measures to address the issue of faltering educational results and is promising a 200 million funding top-up for basic education so that it To ensure that students acquire basic skills. reading, writing and maths.
But money alone is not enough, according to the Finnish government, which now wants to target students’ mobile phones as well.
“The government will strengthen the powers of teachers and headmasters to intervene in activities that disrupt learning during school hours,” the government announced on Monday.
It added, “We will make the necessary legislative amendments to enable more efficient restrictions on matters such as the use of mobile devices during the school day so that boys and girls can better focus on learning.”
In Finland, the prominence of the mobile phone, which is closely linked to the success of Nokia, has long been undisputed. Children in the country are exposed to mobile phones at a younger age than their other counterparts, many of whom already have mobile phones when they enter school.
Despite concerns raised by teachers about the harmful effects of these devices on attention and concentration, current regulations set by the Finnish National Agency for Education do not give schools the right to ban students from bringing mobile devices onto their premises.
However, this position is set to change pending parliamentary approval.
It appears that Finnish decision makers have garnered significant public support, as evidenced by a recent citizens’ initiative, which has gathered over 30,000 signatures, calling for turning off mobile phones during lessons and breaks or leaving classrooms. It has been urged to implement measures such as completely banning
(Pekka Ventinen | EURACTIV.com)
