The Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría, considers that the mobile phone is not necessary in class – unless prescribed by the teacher – nor during recess or in school cafeterias and trusts that the regional governments believe this to allow achieving a joint agreement on the use of mobile phones in educational centers.
During the closing ceremony of the presentation of the latest report from the CYD Foundation (Knowledge and Development), Alegría stressed that it is necessary to resolve “situations of concern, absolutely justified, such as the use or misuse of mobile phones in the education”.
For this reason, the ministry is working on the possibility of an agreement with the autonomous communities, based on the fact that practically all of the autonomies are already applying it in primary school (6-12 years).
“It is not necessary to use a mobile phone as an educational tool,” the minister noted. cell phone during recess or in the dining room, because at these times you have to socialize with your peers.
The meeting with the educational administrations is scheduled for the end of this month. In Catalonia, this debate is also taking place and the department plans to announce the guidelines to educational centers this month after receiving the report from the Consell d’Educació that included the conclusions of the debates held in multiple school councils. Councilor Anna Simó has already advanced part of the Government’s plan.
On the other hand, the minister has defended digitalization in classrooms, indicating that this process cannot be “demonized” and has considered it essential “to move towards a culture in which new technologies are considered allies of the educational environment and not tools of distraction and misuse”.
The minister participated in the presentation event of the CyD 2023 Report in which spokespersons from the fields of universities, science and business reflected on the impact of artificial intelligence on higher education.
In this sense, the minister advocates the benefits of artificial intelligence in compulsory and post-compulsory education in multiple facets: “to personalize education, to improve educational guidance, for the management of centers.” In her opinion, we must accept the evolution of society without fear. “We cannot go back to the past, we cannot paralyze progress, but we have to know how to manage the future better,” she said.
Accompanied by the president of the CYD Foundation, Ana Botín, the minister recalled that the European funds released to face the impact of the pandemic have made it possible to promote the digitalization of the country’s educational centers and teacher training, although we must continue “improving their digital skills” and that of the students.
During the conversation with Botín, the minister also referred to the results of the PISA 2022 Report and the new educational law, which fundamentally affects learning by competencies.
After the publication of the report, which has led to a drop in results due, in part, to the impact of the pandemic on educational centers, a debate has been generated about the transformation of education that is reflected in the new educational law (Lomloe ) and competency-based learning is questioned, which, according to critics, represents a loss of knowledge.
The minister has reaffirmed the need to teach by competencies (which is, on the other hand, what PISA evaluates). “Education has to serve life or it is not education. With this, it is possible to clearly differentiate when learning has been acquired through an accumulation of knowledge or when it has been acquired through the application of that knowledge. It is important to know, but above all it is important to know how to do and know how to apply,” Alegría expressed.
