Sinn Féin spokesperson on Education, Sorca Clarke TD, has welcomed updated guidance on smartphone use for children but warned that the Minister cannot distract from delivering the meaningful change that is needed elsewhere in the education system.
 
Teachta Clarke said:
 
“It is clear that schools are at crisis point due to lack of funding and now a severe shortage of teachers fuelled by the housing crisis.
 
“The announcement that the Minister is bringing a memo to Cabinet on new guidelines to encourage parents not to purchase smartphones for primary school children is a good concept. However, most schools already have ‘smartphone acceptable use’ policies in place which are available to parents.
 
“This move by the government appears more to be concerned with being seen to act than any meaningful attempt to address the cyberbullying too many children experience.
 
“This action by the government and the Minister for Education cannot be an alternative to an adequately resourced Digital Safety Commissioner to tackle the issue of cyberbullying. 
 
“Education in this regard must be around beginning to change the culture surrounding cyberbullying and we need to equip teachers with the skills, both to educate students on the causes and effects of bullying, and to tackle bullying directly if it happens within a school.
 
“Schools are completely understaffed as it is and the Minister has failed to outline what she intends to do in the short and medium term to address the unacceptable situation of staff shortages which currently stand at over 800. Schools need to see real and meaningful change to tackle these core issues. 
 
“Despite the continuous pronouncements from Government, our schools remain under-resourced, lacking the necessary investment and have some of the largest classes class sizes in Europe.
 
“This crisis is happening because of this government’s failure to get to grips with the housing crisis. Under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, teachers are simply unable to afford to rent or buy near their work. Every day that this government remains in office, the situation becomes worse. Government should focus on tackling this rather than engaging in distractions.”