Media Chief Education Officer calls for a ban on cell phones in schools

The President of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK), Silvia Steiner, is calling for a ban on cell phones in schools. Interpersonal communication has been forgotten to a certain extent, she said in an interview.

Although this is regrettable, the Zurich Director of Education does not believe that a general ban imposed by politicians is necessary, as the centrist politician told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper (Wednesday edition).

Most schools already have clear regulations on the use of cell phones and schools have to make their own decisions in this regard. However, she herself does not see why cell phones are needed in class or on the playground.

In Switzerland, cell phone bans in schools are an issue in several cantons. In Würenlos in the canton of Aargau, a ban on smartphones on the entire school grounds has been in place for years. In the canton of Zurich, the issue is being discussed as part of a pending proposal by an SVP and EDU cantonal councillor.

The cantonal school in Chur, on the other hand, offers various alternatives such as table tennis, table football, a reading corner and even a piano. The aim is to encourage pupils to socialize more, as principal Philippe Benguerel told the Keystone-SDA news agency in mid-September.

SDA