The National Party in New Zealand wants to stop students from using cellphones in schools if it wins the elections in October. Christopher Luxon, the leader of the party, said this is a way to improve the low grades of students in the country.
Recent years have shown that school performance is going down, and official data revealed that 15% of students leaving school last year didn’t have any qualifications. Last month, a report from the UN also said that cellphones make it hard for students to focus and learn well in 14 countries, including New Zealand.
Luxon believes that banning cellphones is a smart way to help students learn better. He said that feedback from parents and teachers and research show that phones distract students and make it difficult for them to do well in school.
However, the Secondary Principals Association disagrees with this idea. They think it won’t work and isn’t needed. While some schools might be doing well without cellphones, others might need them for teaching and learning.
