Senator mulls cellphone ban inside classrooms of young learners

MANILA – A senator is studying the possibility of filing a bill seeking to ban the use of mobile phones by learners in elementary and senior high school classrooms during school hours.

Senator Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian said on Thursday that this was to encourage students to read books instead of spending their time on social media.

"Isa sa mga observations, hindi lang dito sa atin kundi pati na sa ibang bansa, marami sa ating mga bata talagang nalululong na sa paggamit ng cellphone, even sa loob ng classroom. Dapat nagbabasa sila pero nanonood ng Youtube, Tiktok," Gatchalian said during Kapihan sa Senado media forum.

"Yung cellphone kasi takes away reading time eh. Yun ang mga pag-aaral na nakita ko. It takes away also study time and social time dahil hindi na sila nag-uusap ngayon," he added.

To further encourage students to read, Gatchalian is all set to usher Senate Bill No. 475 or the National Reading Month Act into the Senate plenary.

The measure seeks to establish November as the National Reading Month to foster a culture of reading among basic education learners and their communities.

It shall mandate libraries and Public Telecommunications Entities to provide free access to educational platforms and online knowledge resources.

The Department of Education is also tasked to organize a book fair, coordinate activities, and engage various stakeholders.

To incentivize reading, discounts of at least 20 percent are proposed for reading materials purchased during November.

Gatchalian said the proposed measure aims to address the poor performance of Filipino learners in international assessments, particularly in reading proficiency. (PNA)