MOE has no policy to prohibit students from bringing mobile phones to classroom

[snoop1130]

MOE has no policy to prohibit students from bringing mobile phones to classroom

 

BANGKOK, 20 July 2017 (NNT) - The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education (MOE) has confirmed that the MOE has not issued a policy to prohibit students from bringing mobile phones to classroom. 

MOE Permanent Secretary Chaiyaphreuk Serirak dismissed a news report that the ministry strictly prohibits the use of cell phones in classrooms, addressing that it has only instructed educational institutions to use discretion in supervising students who are bringing their mobile phones to classrooms. 

If mobile phones are used for learning, it is necessary to take into account the appropriateness of the subject at hand, and the readiness of both the students and teachers which may vary from kindergarten to university, he said. 

He believed that Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha had expressed concern about students’ use of mobile phones because he wants them to strengthen their four language skills, including listening, speaking, reading and writing.

 

-- nnt 2017-7-20

[colinneil]

How pathetic can you get there is no instruction to stop students taking mobiles in the classroom.

What chance is there for them to learn??A nswer none what so ever.

Teacher tries to stop students using their phones, and will be told government has no rules saying we cannot use our phones.

[LazySlipper]

It'll be Candid Camera for the teachers. Anything said and done will be susceptible to being posted on the social media. Just like the caning of a kid in a famous all boy school in BKK.

 

I think there is good in telephones as a tool in class... but hey did not have them when most of us were kids. So what are the kids missing that we didn't miss?

[Eric Loh]

Is it because there is no rule to stop teachers from bringing their mobiles to class.

[tonray]

In the schools I have taught in, ironically the policy was to hold phones during class but only for IEP or Gifted classes. In short, the students whose parents paid more had their phone use limited. Says something right there

[nong38]

Top marks in playing games, oustanding result in Facebook and excellent in LINE which should prepare students well for life after life before work, after all you see it everywhere people playing with their phones rather than serve customers or do the work they are supposed to be doing! The answer is simple but will the powers that be dare to do it?

[ben2talk]

 

26 minutes ago, colinneil said:

How pathetic can you get there is no instruction to stop students taking mobiles in the classroom.

What chance is there for them to learn??A nswer none what so ever.

Teacher tries to stop students using their phones, and will be told government has no rules saying we cannot use our phones.

 Strangely I feel there need be no rule to ban phones. Support for teachers is all that's needed.

 

Rule 1: Teacher sets the rules for their own class.

 

If teacher requests a student give the phone up, then the phone can be placed in a basket, taken to the office, and returned at the end of the day. It's a school policy, there's no need for Nanny to interfere here. I actually encourage my son to use my phone when he's doing his homework. He's five and knows how to ask questions - he's getting better. My phone can sometimes answer questions better than I can.

 

Rule 2: Students refusing to give up the phone may be excluded, as the teacher has no right to take the student's property. This is something that needs support - I heard from government schools that students are not allowed to be excluded from class... like being in prison.

 

10 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Is it because there is no rule to stop teachers from bringing their mobiles to class.

 

I met this rule myself and ignored it. Nobody has the right to stop me hiding my phone and putting it in my pocket. If there is no pressing business or emergency, then the teacher is quite capable of not allowing it to interfere with business.

[Chou Anou]

I have a severe yet effective set of rules to stop students from using their phones in my classes (granted, I teach in a university in the US): the first time I catch a student using their phone (or doing non-class-related things on their laptop) in class, they lose 5% from their grade for the entire semester.  The second time, they lose 10%.  The third (and every subsequent) time, they lose 20%.  The rule is set out in writing in the syllabus, and announced verbally the first day of class.  Cellphone and non-class laptop use instantly dropped to just about 0 (I've only had to take the 5% twice in the 3 years since I put the rule into effect).

[Grubster]

I can't stand to see all the little zombies on their phones,  Especially in restaurants when the whole family is staring at their phones. Sad I say, very sad.  They should surely be turned off at school.

[thhMan]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

He believed that Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha had expressed concern about students’ use of mobile phones because he wants them to strengthen their four language skills

knuckleheads... how else do you describe this....

[jaltsc]

 "The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education (MOE) has confirmed that the MOE has not issued a policy to prohibit students from bringing mobile phones to classroom. "

 

That should result in a significant reduction in stretched and strained necks.

Edited July 21, 2017 by jaltsc

[zyphodb]

There should be a rule banning phone use in classrooms, as children are not responsible enough to only use them to look things up, they will just be looking at facebook/youtube or playing games on them.....

 But this will never happen as education is not considered a priority by Thailand's rulers....

[Orton Rd]

wont make much difference as most Schoolkids kids seem to hang around the local malls all day anyway

[Cadbury]

11 hours ago, Grubster said:

I can't stand to see all the little zombies on their phones,  Especially in restaurants when the whole family is staring at their phones. Sad I say, very sad.  They should surely be turned off at school.

Presumably the classrooms have wifi in which case students can use the phones to look up the answers to their exam questions. They are a necessity to help ensure every student qualifies.

[AGareth2]

13 hours ago, ben2talk said:

Teacher sets the rules for their own class.

It is called classroom management

[YetAnother]

13 hours ago, ben2talk said:

I met this rule myself and ignored it. Nobody has the right to stop me hiding my phone and putting it in my pocket. If there is no pressing business or emergency, then the teacher is quite capable of not allowing it to interfere with business.

agreed, the teacher still controls

[Grubster]

33 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

Presumably the classrooms have wifi in which case students can use the phones to look up the answers to their exam questions. They are a necessity to help ensure every student qualifies.

Very true. I forgot that nobody can fail here, maybe the word fail does not translate to Thai. I just sometimes wonder if these kids even know what is going on around them that they could see if they put the phone down.

[George Bowman]

I retired a few years ago from a large international school in Bangkok. The rule was no phones in the classroom, unless the teacher had a specific educational purpose for the students to use their phones. However, a phone would often ring in the middle of class and the majority of the time it would be a family member wanting to see how things were going. 

[Rancid]

I suppose it depends on what the aim of the education policy is, if it is zombification of the students then those mobile phones would be an invaluable asset.