The measure was announced in the Budget.
A Dublin TD says €9m for phone pouches for schools is a scandalous waste of money.
The measure was announced in the Budget yesterday in a bid to clamp down on students using phones in class.
Gary Gannon says there are plenty of other areas where that money could be better spent.
“With schools around the country struggling to pay their bills or for basic classroom materials due to shortfalls in capitation funding, it beggars belief that the Government should squander millions on phone pouches.
“Yet again, we see the Minister for Education’s pet project taking precedence over more pressing matters, such as the teacher recruitment crisis.
“There was nothing in yesterday’s budget to address this issue, which is forcing some schools to limit the number of subjects they can teach or take special education teachers away from their core roles to fill staffing gaps.
Each pouch is expected to cost between €20 and €30.
They will enable schools to control when students can access their phones.
But Soc Dems TD Gary Gannon, went on to say:
“There are plenty of other areas where the €9 million for phone pouches could be better spent, including increased investment to reduce class sizes in primary schools along with the recruitment of additional teachers and SNAs.
“While a ban on mobile phones in schools sounds good in principle, it should not be this Government’s priority when it comes to fixing our education system.”
