It has been an open rumor for days, and in the end it has been proven true. The NItalian children and adolescents they will no longer be able to use their mobile phones during classes in public and private schools. The only one exception It will be in the cases in which the devices are useful for didactic, inclusive or training activities, but always, in any case, under the supervision of teachers. The measure has been announced this week and has entered into force immediately.
“Mobile phones are as the cocaine“, said Giuseppe Valditara, the inspirer of the new rule and Minister of Education and Merit of the Government led by the far-right Giorgia Meloni. Days ago, the minister had already used similar rhetoric to defend his initiative. “I am not saying that you cannot enter class with your mobile. But you can leave it at the entrance or in any case outside the lesson: You go to school to study, not to chat”he stated on that occasion.
“Mobile phones are a distraction element that do not allow you to follow the lessons in a profitable way and are also a disrespect teachers, to whom it is a priority to restore authority. The common interest that I intend to pursue is that of a serious school, which returns to put learning at the center and the commitment”, considered the politician.
no sanctions
Yes indeed, no sanctions are foreseen for those who do not comply with the new rule, something that critics say will leave it in wet paper. The reason for this is that it appeals to the “sense of responsibility”, has stressed the transalpine Ministry of Education. “We also invite educational centers to ensure compliance of current regulations and to promote, where appropriate, stricter regulatory reinforcements and educational co-responsibility pacts”, he added.
The ministry has justified its measure also with a senate report Italian, according to which mobile phones can lead to addictions and sequels similar to those that cause the strongest narcotics. “They have the same and identical chemical, neurological, biological and psychological implications,” reads this analysis on the impact of digital technology on students, dated June 14, 2021.
“There are physical damages: myopia, obesity, hypertension, musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes. And there are psychological damages: addiction, alienation, depression, irritability, aggression, insomnia, dissatisfaction, decreased empathy”, continues the text. But “the most worrying thing is the progressive loss of essential mental facultiesthe faculties that for millennia have represented what we summarily call intelligence”, he summarizes.
teachers divided
Teachers have divided before the decision of the Italian Government. Still, some have received it with good eyes. “I don’t see any scandal. Teachers also don’t have to use these phones in class,” said Attilio Fratta, coordinator of the Dirigenti Scuola union, one of many that unites teachers in Italy.
“I know many educators who use the mobile phone for teaching purposes. I’m fine with it. For other things, you don’t have to use it,” added Fratta. “We must educate above all families, does not take the mobile to school. For any emergency, there are school secretaries, “he reasoned.” Man is a product of culture: he educates himself “, he concluded, specifying that, however, no punishment has to be” humiliation “.