Phones in lockers: How some UAE schools are limiting access in classrooms

Several countries have banned phones during school hours citing learning distractions and cyberbullying

Pupils at Gems Winchester School, Dubailand, lock away their phones during school time. Chris Whiteoak / The National

From installing special lockers in classrooms to putting behavioural policies in place, UAE schools are adopting strict measures to ensure phones are not used in classrooms.

Institutions such as the Gems Winchester School in Dubai have started using lockers for phones in classrooms where pupils can keep their devices to ensure they are not distracted in class. Raha International School Gardens Campus in Abu Dhabi and Dubai British School Jumeirah Park will be following suit soon.

While most UAE schools prohibit primary school pupils from carrying phones, many allow older pupils to bring in phones but require them to keep the devices out of sight during school hours.

In July 2023, Unesco’s Global Education Monitoring Report released a call for technology to be used in classrooms only when it supports learning, and found that smartphones could distract pupils. The report also cited a study that found that removing smartphones from schools in Belgium, Spain and the UK had improved learning outcomes.

The Netherlands banned phones in schools this year and Ormiston Academies Trust, one of UK's biggest such trusts, will be placing a ban on phones at its 42 state schools. Some US states are considering a phone ban in high schools, and in France and Italy teachers collect pupils' phones at the beginning of the school day.

'Banning phones is not an effective solution'

“Banning mobile phones at schools is one solution but may not be the most effective one,” said Mike Bloy, principal at Raha International School Gardens Campus. “We're trying to teach the children separation from their phones, rather than telling them these are bad because these are not, it’s just another device.”

At Raha International School Gardens Campus, primary pupils are not allowed to bring phones while secondary school pupils may bring them but are not permitted to use them during school hours.

“The idea is to try and teach pupils that you can be separate from your phone, try and reduce that dopamine hit of messages and likes,” said Mr Bloy. A phone ban, he added, would only lead teenagers to “be more duplicitous. They will go and hide in the toilet and read the messages”.

“Banning it doesn't necessarily teach them the right way to interact with the device,” said Mr Bloy. He said the conversation needs to go beyond schools.

More than half of teenagers use their phones at night, looking at social media or gaming, according to a 2023 study by Common Sense Media, an American organisation that provides media and technology recommendations to families.

“We pick up the after-effects of that in school where we see tired children, or the bullying that's gone on online. Banning phones in school doesn't necessarily solve those problems,” said Mr Bloy.

Rebecca Coulter, principal at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park, said primary school pupils do not carry phones and older pupils are allowed to keep their phones in their bags, but they have to be switched off at school.

“It doesn't always prevent children using their mobile phones, but it cuts down on the stress and the negative impact that we've seen on children, particularly on their mental health,” said Ms Coulter. “There's a growing addiction to social media and the use of phones, and that's something we're trying to avoid within school so that children can focus on their learning and on social interaction.”

The school organises workshops for parents on the risks of using technology at a young age. It also has a firewall, a computer network security system to safeguard the children, and school devices are monitored so pupils cannot access social media.

Education is the key

“It's not so much about banning mobile phones. It's about educating parents and children as to the risks of using mobile phones and the negative impact on their health,” she said.

Baz Nijjar, principal adviser for education technology at Gems Education schools, said they each have autonomy to decide how they use technology.

“Some have a general policy within the parent contract. If a mobile phone is used, they may have consequences, or they may have steps in terms of warnings,” said Mr Nijjar.

If a child is caught using a phone during a class or school hours, the school manages the situation according to their behaviour policy which could be a warning, confiscating the phone or sending an email to the parent.

He said Gems Metropole School has asked all parents to install a mobile device management software on their school devices, which ensures pupils cannot access social media or any harmful sites.

Parental view

There is no space for phones or iPads at schools unless it is to teach computers, said Mohamed El Ashram, an Egyptian resident in Dubai and a father of two children aged four and nine.

“Phones, in my opinion, should be completely banned from schools. No one needs a phone in the school,” said Mr El Ashram.

“The child’s safety is the school's responsibility, and we went to school and never used phones. If there was an emergency, the school would call the parents. I don't want my child to be exposed to phones at school, because I know what it does to attention span. I know the tantrums that come when you take that dopamine hit away.”

He said children do not always know how to read and write properly, but are able to use devices.

“They need to learn the basics. Let them teach them the basics of computers, the hardware and the software and the basics of computers,” said Mr El Ashram.

“I don't mind them using laptops and computers, but they shouldn't be learning Arabic, English or mathematics, or science on the iPad or the computer. A computer is for them to learn computer science.”

Experts say technology only helps learning a little

“There's very little evidence on technology necessarily improving learning,” Manos Antoninis, director of the Global Education Monitoring Report hosted by Unesco. “On the contrary, we find that, generally speaking, learning outcomes are going down in rich countries, those that are most exposed to technology.

“We know that there is not enough evidence of the mobile phone being used productively in a classroom.”

The Global Education Monitoring Report 2023 showed that some technology could be useful in supporting some learning in some contexts, but not in excess, while smartphones could disrupt learning. Having a phone around with notifications coming through was enough to result in pupils losing attention, the report found.

Large-scale international assessment data, such as that provided by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), suggest a negative link between excessive ICT use and student performance, the report also found.

Mr Antoninis said that by last year 24 per cent of countries had a law or a policy in place restricting the use of phones in school, while that number had gone up to 30 per cent in 2024.

Whether countries ban phones or not, many nations are taking action to ensure children are not distracted by mobile phones at school.