Government makes “half-hearted u-turn” on phone pouches saga, says Cummins

Last October’s Budget saw much ink spilt about government plans to spend €9 million on phone pouches in schools.

On Thursday, the government quietly abandoned the plans.

However, Social Democrats TD and education spokesperson Jen Cummins isn’t letting them off the hook.

Describing the government’s move as a “screeching” u-turn, Cummins said that schools are not being given the “illusion of autonomy” about how the money is spent.

Tánaiste Simon Harris said that schools will now have the autonomy for funding and use it for their preferred “phone storage solution.”

“Given phone pouches can be replaced by a teacher putting phones in a cardboard box, and that many schools already have these phone storage solutions in place, the Tánaiste must now clarify if this money is being ringfenced for phone storage alone,” Cummins said.

“If that is the case, it just means that a diluted version of the former minister’s pet project is continuing, with the government trying to save face by giving schools an illusion of autonomy,” the Dublin South Central TD said.

“The reality for schools is that many of them are so cash-strapped that they are struggling to keep the lights on. A new survey today has revealed that a record number have had to apply to the Department for emergency funding.”

Cummins said, “in that context, it is completely tone-deaf for the government to insist that €9 million should go on phone storage. Everyone agrees that phones should not be used during the school day, but most schools have already dealt with this as an issue.”

“Given this €9m fund is going to be retained, there should be much more leeway for schools to apply to fund programmes, and equipment, that they really need.”