€9 million phone pouches plan for schools branded ‘pet project’

The Dublin government’s proposal to spend €9 million on locked phone pouches for secondary schools has been branded “grotesque, inexcusable” and a “pet project” by opposition parties.

The Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free initiative was announced in this week’s budget, and states that the rollout will make post-primary schools smartphone free.

The €9 million scheme - similar to plans being trialled in the north - has been widely criticised by opposition parties, however the Minister for Education Norma Foley defended the move saying it will allow students to have a mental break from their mobile phones.

Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said it was “just another example” of a government that “can’t be trusted” with taxpayers’ money.

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The party’s spokesman for finance called on the government to reverse the decision to allocate nine million euros for the initiative.

“Minister, when you sat round the Cabinet table and made this decision, did not one person put up their hand and ask the question that maybe we should spend this money on the 100 children with additional needs that still don’t have a school place at this point in time,” Mr Doherty told the Dáil on Thursday.

“Did not one government minister at the table maybe say, we should spend this money increasing capitation funding so that schools can actually cover their lighting, can actually cover their heating bills.

“Did nobody at the cabinet table put up their hands and say, why don’t we just ask the kids to leave their phones in their bags.

“Spending €9 million on phone cases is grotesque and it is inexcusable.”

He called on Minister for Finance Jack Chamber to “stop the waste”.

“Unlike the bike shed, unlike the 1.4 million security hut, this money as of yet has not been wasted,” the Donegal TD added.

“So will you just please see sense? Will you announce to the people of Ireland that you’re not going to waste €9 million on phone pouches, and will you instead put that money into schools so that we can pay for the light, the electricity cost, the heating cost and other costs that those schools need.”

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns described it as a “pet project”.

“We can all agree on the need to prioritise mental health and children’s mental health, but to prioritise phone pouches with regard to that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to most people,” she said.

“€9 million on a pet project that schools weren’t crying out for. It’s a lot of money, and it could have done some real good.

“That €9 million could have been used to invest in special schools. There isn’t a single special school, for example, in my own constituency in Cork South West.

“It could have been used to fund therapists in St Killian’s Special School in Mayfield, who were promised supports from Minister (Anne) Rabbitte that never materialised.

“There have been no occupational therapists, speech and language therapists or behavioural therapists in that special school or any other since 2020 when you entered government.”

Mr Chambers defended the scheme, saying it will implement a policy about the mental health, wellbeing and dignity of children.

“I would say to you, Deputy Doherty, you should never play politics when it comes to the mental health of young people, of children in schools across our communities,” the Fianna Fail minister said.

“The investment in children’s welfare, in mental health, in dignity at school is never a waste of money.

“If this helps one young person in a school where they’ve had difficulties, for example, with the use of mobile phones in schools, is that not a progressive and practical initiative to help support young people, to help support their learning in schools.”

He pointed to international research on the use of smartphones in schools, which shows that students perform better when they take a break from their mobile phones.

Mr Chambers said that schools will have the authority to decide what phone storage option they will have, as some already use mobile phone pouches.

“Minister Foley (is) cognisant of the concerns of parents right across the country when it comes to the use of smartphones in schools,” the minister added.

Mr Doherty said: “Your government has underfunded mental health for years. So don’t try and wrap this vanity project up as some way of supporting hard pressed parents who know that their children are being let down over and over again.”