1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,680 Speaker 1: Surprise, surprise, the cell phone ban in our school is 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: a success, and Education Review Office report shows the ban 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,520 Speaker 1: has improved academic achievement and reduced bullying, and the er 4 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 1: now wants the government to go further and ban even 5 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 1: more devices. Erica Stanford is the Education Minister High Erica, Hello, 6 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 1: hi you, I'm well, thank you. Would you consider banning 7 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:20,320 Speaker 1: the wearables like the smart watchers. 8 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 2: We're certainly going to take Erro's recommendations into account and 9 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:28,960 Speaker 2: I'll get the ministry. It could be some advice, but 10 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 2: I certainly think we probably do need to go further. 11 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 2: But that'll obviously be a decision I need to take to Cabinet, 12 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:34,319 Speaker 2: but I'll certainly look at it now. 13 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: One of the other things they also want you to 14 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:38,199 Speaker 1: limit is access to social media, because of course the 15 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: kids are still able to get through it through the laptops. 16 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:42,280 Speaker 1: Can you actually practically do that? 17 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 2: There is a way that we can. It's not a 18 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 2: complete solution, but the Network for Learning that part of 19 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 2: their a Crown agency who provide internet to schools, can 20 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 2: restrict and limit what you can see on the schools 21 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 2: network and they are able to disable access to social media. 22 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 2: Now I think about sixty percent of schools already do 23 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,200 Speaker 2: it voluntarily. There's about forty percent who don't. And I'm 24 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 2: just working with n for our on whether or not 25 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 2: we can go further with a band from the school 26 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:14,320 Speaker 2: network of social media. There's a few fishalts in there. 27 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 2: I've got to look at though, like what well, like 28 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 2: the fact you've got things like YouTube and how would 29 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 2: we deal with that, And the fact that actually for 30 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 2: the moment, teachers are on the network, and teachers may 31 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 2: be accessing Facebook during the day, and so that would 32 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 2: mean they would have lost access. So there's a few 33 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 2: little things I just have to think about. 34 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: Okay, Now, the ERO says the problem with the phones 35 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: the ban is still in some cases the parents are 36 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: the problem because they are resisting the ban. Is that 37 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: what you're finding. 38 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:44,760 Speaker 2: Well, I was a little bit surprised to hear that, 39 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 2: But then when I think about my own behavior, sometimes 40 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 2: not so, you know, occasionally I will text Alex or 41 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 2: Holly at school and say and how did your results go? 42 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 2: And then I've got to stop doing that. And actually, parents, 43 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 2: we all as a collective need to stop distracting kids 44 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 2: during the day. And even I looked at that and 45 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 2: thought you know what, even I do that occasionally, and 46 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 2: I need to stop doing it, and I think all 47 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 2: parents need to probably take that on board. 48 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: Okay, listen, I see you've also got a bill that's 49 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: going to stop schools opting out of international maths and 50 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: reading tests. What's going on here. 51 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 2: It's really important that we have data over time, that 52 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 2: consistent data over time that shows our performance. We really 53 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 2: have nothing else. PISA, which is the one we do 54 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 2: at age fifteen that does the basics, and we've got 55 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 2: Pearls and Terms which to reading, writing, and maths and 56 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 2: science at a younger age, are the only longitudinal studies 57 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:39,119 Speaker 2: we have to show our own performance over time. Yes, 58 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,680 Speaker 2: it does rank us with other countries. I'm less concerned 59 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 2: about rankings. I'm more concerned about our own performance over time. 60 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 2: If you look at PISA at age fifteen, our students 61 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:49,679 Speaker 2: today are about a year between a year and a 62 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 2: half and two years behind where they were in two 63 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 2: thousand and three when this started. So it's really important 64 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 2: that schools partake in the assessments. A lot of them 65 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 2: are fusing it, which means it falls on the same 66 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 2: schools year after year, which means the data is not 67 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 2: as valid lately as it should be, and so just 68 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 2: saying to schools, hey, when you're asked, you need to 69 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 2: partake in it. It's really important for the health of 70 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 2: the system. So I know where to put resource and 71 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 2: we know how to make good policy decisions. 72 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: Erica, Thanks very much, as always, eric a stand for 73 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 1: the education ministry. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, 74 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,919 Speaker 1: listen live to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, 75 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.