UAE SCHOOLS ALREADY ENGAGED WITH BAN ON MOBILE PHONES

▶ As England plans to stop classroom phone use, education experts in the Emirates tell of the benefits of a ban

England’s plans to ban the use of mobile phones in schools were in the headlines earlier this week, but many UAE schools made that move long ago.

Schools in England can introduce the guidance – which is not statutory – in several ways. Pupils can be told to leave phones at home, they can be allowed to put them in lockers, or they can keep their phones with them, as long as they are not seen or heard.

Several schools across the Emirates have already introduced their own rules, education experts told The National.

“We don’t have mobile phones in school for pupil use … they remain in their bags for the duration of the school day, and they can use them on their way to and from school,” said Rebecca Coulter, head teacher at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park.

“We found that the interference from using phones stopped pupils from accessing the quality of learning. They were an unwelcome distraction, particularly with the use of social media.

“We made the move a couple of years ago to remove mobile phones from the school and we find this has had a positive effect on behaviour.”

Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, said that by the age of 12, 97 per cent of children have a mobile phone.

Ms Coulter said a large number of young children at her school have mobile phones.

“There is a very high percentage of children in possession of mobile phones, which can have a real benefit but also exposes them to social media, and maybe content that is not appropriate for their age.”

The head teacher said the “detrimental effect” social media can have on children’s mental health was another factor to be considered. She said parents supported the move.

Social media use has been linked with a decline in mental health, with the Arab Youth Survey 2023 finding that 60 per cent of young Arabs thought it was having a negative effect on their mental well-being.

Rashmi Nandkeolyar, head teacher at Delhi Private School Dubai, said pupils were not allowed phones in classes unless a special request had been made by a parent.

Even then, pupils must hand over their phones to a supervisor who would return them at the end of lessons.

“It would be very distracting otherwise and definitely add to bullying and other issues,” said Ms Nandkeolyar.

Matthew Burfield, senior vice president of education at Gems Education said all seven schools in his cluster had banned phones.

Gems Metropole School in Motor City in Dubai has had a ban on phones on campus for the past nine years, he added. “Since its inception, there have been no mobile phones allowed in the school,” said Mr Burfield.

“We don’t allow mobile phones for children across any of the age groups.

“The only mild exception is in one school in Sharjah, for the sixth-form pupils.

“In my schools, they are asked to place them in their lockers in the morning, and collect them as they leave.”

Punit Vasu, Indian High Group of Schools’ chief executive, said mobile phones were not appropriate for a school learning environment.

“The school doesn’t promote phone use because it may lead to distractions,” said Mr Vasu.

Ian Thurston, principal of Dubai International Academy Al Barsha, said phones were not allowed during lesson time.

“Students below grade four are not allowed phones at all and while it is accepted that secondary students may have a phone on them during the day, we expect it to be invisible – we do not want to see them or hear them,” said Mr Thurston.

Parents also seemed to support the ban. Faten El Hajj, a mother of two in Dubai, said there was no point in children having phones in class.

“This is interrupting them. It makes them feel like they are allowed to use social media or communicate with people outside,” said Ms El Hajj.

Souha Itani, from Lebanon, a mother of four in Abu Dhabi, said pupils needed phones while travelling to and from school but not in classrooms.

We made the move a couple of years ago and we find this has had a positive effect on behaviour

REBECCA COULTER

Head teacher at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park