The first “bells” began to “ring” despite the “silence” imposed by the Ministry of Education for the use of mobile phones.

Already in Patras the first one-day suspension of a student due to a mobile phone was recorded, however his parents made a serious complaint about the abusive behavior of the school principal.

At the same time, between the “doctrinal” rules that the Ministry of Education is trying to impose and the extraordinary situation that is going to be created in the school community, the Directorate of Secondary Education of the prefecture called the school counselors yesterday Tuesday and today called the school principals – in order to “remind” them of their obligations regarding the use of cell phones within the school and the correct implementation of provisions that, in another case, will lead teachers and also students – parents to extreme behaviors.

The Direction is clear, the aim is not to “open the pockets of Aeolos” and to “cut” the use of mobile phones from the classroom based on the pedagogical process and the correct application of the new legal framework. A framework that provides for specific steps, initially reprimanding, admonishing and informing the parents, and then, in the event that the obligation to follow the rules is ignored, the punishment reaches up to the expulsion of the student.

As the Director of the Directorate of Secondary Education of Achaia, Eugenia Pierri, reports in “C”: “The legislation should be implemented gradually based on the steps mentioned so that the implementation of the law does not become detrimental to the school community”.

“Basic pedagogical measures are dialogue and communication with the students so that they realize the need and that there is no need to apply the law, nor reprimand or anything else. Our purpose is to prevent the expulsion and we will prevent it when we have worked and communicated with our students and helped them to realize the seriousness of this issue” he concludes on the occasion of the successive meetings of the two days.

What was reported by parents

“C” has at her disposal a named complaint from the parents for a school complex in Magoula (Kastritsi D.E. Rio) according to which the principal of the school exhausted her strictness without taking care to be informed by the Directorate of Education.

For obvious reasons, to protect the minor, “C” does not publish the names of those involved.

“We consider the handling of the school management to be at least unfortunate and the management of the incident by the entire educational community of the school inadequate… We ask the following questions and request an answer:

  • During which lesson on Monday 16-9-2024 was the student “caught” using his cell phone in class?
  • Does the professor who was teaching at the time have a personal opinion? Who reported the incident to the principal and the teachers’ union?
  • Were the parents called by the school management and what recommendations were made to the student and parents?
  • What kind of use was made of the cell phone during the lesson? Phone call, video recording, some video and audio maybe or none of these?
  • What kind of recommendations have been made since the beginning of the year and if the school community has been informed that direct expulsions will be given without recommendations, warnings and prior information to parents?
  • Did the management of the school comply with even one of the conditions that it must follow both on the basis of laws and circulars and on the basis of its duties for this specific incident?”