Dear Sirs and Madams,
Ever since the first phone was released to the public in 1992, it has fundamentally changed the way we socialise, learn and take notes. This revolutionary new piece of tech has since paved the way for breakthroughs in many fields, including travel, communication, research, photography and even learning.
On September 9th 2024, the Romanian Education Ministry has banned the use of smartphones during class, with some schools even locking phones away untill the end of all classes for that day. The issue I’m writing this letter about is exactly that. I am currently a student at a prestigious highschool in Oradea and I believe that prohibiting the use of smartphones will prove counter-productive in the long term, for several reasons.
Firstly, most students already hate school. No matter how much teachers try to make the lesson more fun, woke or interractive, there will always be at least one student that will despise that class.
Considering this, there is no need to make school even more insufferable for the students.
Although education until the 12th grade is compulsory, I firmly believe that a more “open” aproach is desperately needed in our education system, and allowing phones during class hours is the bare minimum.
Secondly, modern life is so intertwined with technology that banning its use instead of using it to further learning efficiency is the main reason that, as of 2021, only 28% of Romanians have basic digital skills & knowledge, sitting firmly in the last place out of all countries in the EU ( published in a official tweet by @DigitalEU).
And thirdly, I consider depriving students of their own smartphones a criminal act, as it technically ‘steals’ their property, albeit for a set amount of time. Nowhere else are private belongings forcefully taken away like this, public institutions usually adopting more suggestive approaches such as signs with icons or written text that prohibit certain actions or items.
I would be very grateful if you could approach this letter with an open mind and take these recommendations and complaints into consideration.
The future of our contry relies on the young, and trying to keep things “as they’ve always been” will either dumb them down or drive them away from our country.
I look forward to seeing changes in our education system.
Feel free to reach back with enquiries.
Sincerely,
VANESA GALIȘ
LOGO paper 