Mobile phone ban in Dutch secondary schools seems to be working out well

It may take some time for all of the secondary school students in the Netherlands to get used to the fact that they are generally no longer allowed to have their mobile phones in the classroom, but many schools have indicated that their initial experiences are positive. Students are talking to each other again, and are calmer and more focused, various schools said when contacted by ANP.

Headmaster Frank Engelen of Niftarlake College in Maarssen, Utrecht, said things are going well at his school, "with some exceptions here and there." Last week, between 50 and 70 students had to surrender their mobile phones to school staff because they were not complying with the ban. With around 1,600 students enrolled, a few dozen violations is not so bad, Engelen said.

Students serving on the school's Participation Council and their Student Council have also observed positive effects with the measure, which took effect nationally at the start of the year. "They indicate that they are coming into contact with each other more often, even with students who they do not know."

At Bouwens van der Boijecollege in Panningen, Limburg, a mobile phone ban already came into effect in September, said school leader Annemarie Lukassen. It was initially rolled out with students entering their first year at the secondary school, and it was expanded to include the entire school when students returned from the winter break.

Students have had to either leave the phone at home or lock them up once school started back up after the holidays, and it is going "wonderfully well," Lukassen said. "Since then, we have had to take in fewer than 10 telephones from almost 1,400 students. Students are really talking to each other again," she continued. "They are bringing playing cards for the break, and a Discman was even seen for listening to music."

At the Bouwens van der Boije College, repeat offenders "will receive a follow-up sanction, such as a chore," she said. When determining their policy, they involved the Participation Council, Student Council, school staff and parents.

Niftarlake College determined the new rules in consultation with the teachers. They still allows students to use their mobile phones in the areas where they take breaks. As soon as they enter the hallways to the classrooms, the telephone must already be put away in their locker. If someone sneakily uses their phone, the teacher will confiscate it. The student can collect it from reception later in the afternoon.

At both schools, the telephones were first placed in telephone bags within the classrooms. That caused a great deal of unrest, because the students were distracted just knowing that their phones were nearby, the heads of both schools said.

Some Bouwens students also did not dare to express themselves freely because they were afraid of being filmed or photographed by classmates. “School should be a safe place: therefore, at home or in the locker,” said Lukassen.