Unesco wants global ban on cell phones in schools

MANILA —  A new United Nations report raised concerns about the excessive use of smartphones and the over-use impacts on learning, calling for the gadgets to be banned in schools worldwide.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) global report on technology in education highlights the lack of appropriate governance and regulation.

Titled “Technology in education: A tool on whose terms?,” the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report calls for appropriate use of technology in education and emphasizes the need for a “human-centered vision” where digital technology serves as a tool rather than taking precedence.

According to the report, digital technology has changed but not transformed education.

UNESCO’s Director of Global Education Monitoring, Manos Antoninis warned of the danger of data leaks in educational tech, as only 16 percent of countries guarantee data privacy in the classroom, by law.

“We know that vast amounts of data are being used without the appropriate regulation, so this data ends up being used for other non-educational purposes, commercial purposes and that’s of course a violation of rights that needs to be regulated,” Antoninis said.

The UNESCO report also highlights the disparities created by digital learning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, half a billion students worldwide were left out due to the shift to online-only learning with an imbalance in online resources favoring Europe and North America.

UNESCO is urging countries to set their own standards for the way technology is designed and used in education such that it never replaces in-person, teacher-led instruction and supports the shared objective of quality education for all.

“The digital revolution holds immeasurable potential but, just as warnings have been voiced for how it should be regulated in society, similar attention must be paid to the way it is used in education,” warned UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

In contrast to digital technology’s potential to improve education, there are also risks of information and communication technologies in education, which are often ignored by research and evaluations.

The report said several countries are banning the use of mobile telephones or other technology in schools. Globally, less than a quarter of countries have laws or policies banning the use of telephones in school. Some ban the use of specific applications because of privacy concerns.

Technology, the report said, has fundamentally changed the way in which children exercise and realize their rights, including their rights to both education and privacy.

“While under certain conditions the use of technology in education can enhance children’s opportunity to learn, it can also put their physical and mental integrity, privacy, and dignity at risk,” it said.

UNESCO said policymaakers should listen to the voices of children so that their rights are protected and safeguarded during their online activities. (philstar)