Statement by TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston:
“As a member of the board of governors of a local primary school I am well aware of the pressures facing public services and particularly the budgets of our schools. I am therefore flabbergasted by the Education Minister’s plan to spend £250,000 on a ‘magnetic pouch’ scheme.
“I welcome the Minister’s guidance to schools to discourage the use of phones during school hours. However, this use of public money will strike many as nonsensical.
“A much more commonsense approach would be to work with schools on a robust policy of banning phones. One appreciates that there will be those who will not keep the rule but surely then it would be a case of simply confiscating phones which are used improperly. Where pupils do have a legitimate reason to have them with them (for example to contact family after home time) they can leave them in a school drawer when in class. If pupils manage to get around that (cost free system) surely they will get around the Minister’s plan as well?
“I would urge the Minister to find reverse gear on this.”