Emergency Communications between Parents and their Children given Smartphone Ban in Secondary Schools

Ms Poh Li San asked the Minister for Education in view of the smartphone ban in secondary schools from 2026 (a) how will schools address parents' concerns about the need for emergency communication with their children; and (b) how will the Ministry ensure that teachers are not burdened with the additional workload to check and enforce the new rules that may compromise classroom teaching time.

Mr Speaker, my response will address Ms Poh's question and related oral Parliamentary Questions (PQs) set for subsequent Sittings.

To support secondary schools in implementing the tightened guidelines for use of smartphones and smartwatches, the Ministry of Education (MOE) had engaged school leaders and provided resources such as implementation guidelines, answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and we have also shared good practices by schools that have seen positive outcomes.

On enforcement, MOE provides schools with guidelines to formulate their discipline policies and school rules based on their student profile and student needs. Secondary schools already have existing school rules and discipline policies to manage students' smartphone use during lesson time. So, these continue to be applicable with the implementation of the tightened guidelines.

Schools also have protocols for emergency communication with parents. Should parents have an urgent message to relay to their children, they can contact the school's general office. Students who need to contact their parents may also do so using phones in the general office. There is no need for students to own or use a handphone.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and thank you Minister of State for the reply. I just like to know one week into school opening so far, what has been the feedback on the ground. Do the teachers feel or face any challenges and also, would this ban extend further to handheld gaming devices that are similar to smartphones in that sense – that is, they are taking up a lot of time and screen time for students?

I thank Member for the supplementary question. I think there is a variety of feedback and experiences on the ground. By and large, parents are supportive of the ban. Schools are in the process of implementing the new measures. Some continue to have questions about how it ought to be done and how it ought to be implemented. And MOE continues to engage the schools and the school leaders on how best to do it. I think we are also mindful that the ban should improve the overall experience of both teachers and students in the school. If there are further feedback and questions from school leaders or teachers, we remain open to engaging them on this.