Decree 195/2022, of November 11, establishes that the use of mobile devices must be regulated within the coexistence rules of each educational center. However, in view of the latest events, and especially the increasing requests from parent groups for greater regulation of use, the Department of Education has shown itself open this Monday to delve into the development of the Decree, “counting on the contributions of the educational community.”
Minister José Antonio Rovira has spoken of undertaking a “participatory review” because society “changes at a dizzying pace.” And that is why he has proposed creating “a common framework, a guideline so that we all go in the same direction.” His statements took place this Monday at the closing of the I Conference “Per una educació sense por”, held at the Department and in which actions in situations of bullying, as well as the use of mobile devices in schools, have been addressed by experts from different fields.
Linked to this, Rovira has also assured that the Department of Education, Universities and Employment will review the rule that regulates coexistence in the Valencian educational system to address situations of bullying. “Bullying and the use of mobile phones are two of the most pressing problems that the educational community faces on a daily basis and our obligation as an Administration is to give them priority in our action calendar,” he indicated.
The recent report of the ANAR Association, presented in Valencia on the occasion of the Day against the Elimination of Gender Violence, confirms that new technologies are involved in 83.2% of cases of adolescent gender violence, 3.5 points percentages more than the Spanish average. Likewise, Save The Children also recently recalled that boys and girls are increasingly accessing the Internet and interacting through the Internet at very early ages: it is estimated that the first access is at the age of 7 and that 95% of Children between 10 and 15 years old use it. In parallel, online sexual crimes that have a child or adolescent as the victim have grown and in 2022, 954 complaints of this type were filed.
Likewise, Minister Rovira has announced that the Ministry will implement the professional profile in the field of coexistence and conduct in all the Specialized Guidance Units (UEO). “We do it with the aim of improving the response to this area in educational centers, thus being more operational, effective and efficient,” he explained. In the Valencian Community there are six UEO (Alicante, Valencia, Castellón, Denia, Xàtiva and Elche) but until now this professional profile is only in three (the provincial capitals).
Rovira recalled, finally, that Education began contextual evaluations in November in which students have also been asked about the use of screens, the time of use and how it influences them in their daily lives. “Listening and observing is essential and we aim to know how the social, cultural and economic circumstances of the students’ family and educational context influence their academic performance and personal evolution.” The evaluations will end on December 22, so at the beginning of 2024 it is expected that there will be an x-ray “of what our children and young people think and how they feel,” concluded Rovira.
