As a school principal, I am astonished that The Irish News (October 22) placed on its front page the story that a Belfast school ‘bans mobiles to tackle negative impact of social media’. It leaves many educationalists speechless, I am sure, that any school must take steps that tell the community that their pupils have abandoned the most basic teachings of their families. Schools are not the primary educators – parents and carers are. If pupils in our primary schools understand the meaning of posture in public, respect, community etiquette, standards and see themselves as learners who act as leaders, why would any school need to ‘ban’ mobile phones?
In our school, the young users of modern technology leave their phones in a designated area at the reception at the start of each day. They collect them at the end of the day. If parents must contact children in an emergency, they do so as they did a half a century ago – via the front desk.
The answer to the difficulties modern technology creates is not in banning phones, it is in giving the children the language, practices and values of responsible citizenship and if their homes cannot give them that, then teachers can partly fill the gap the parents create.
Teachers can create a relationship not underpinned by authority but by care and I challenge those in positions of influence (as opposed to ‘power’) to question the position they hold in the hearts of those we care to mould.
Young people need our help now more than ever – the last thing they need is schools which ban rather than discuss, teach, nurture and mould. Our schools need to become places filled with adults our pupils do not want to disappoint.
We must deserve a place in the hearts of the young and never to be, as teachers, an aggressive and banning force. Children will not learn and will not love the seat of learning if its role is to ban what’s not good for them.
Banning what is not good for the young is one of the primary jobs of loving, caring, respected and informed parents.
By highlighting this recent action, some parents will now feel relieved that schools will do their job for them. The Irish News should have offered their article as an ‘opinion piece’ rather than front page news – it lets too many parents off the hook.
DR SÉAMAS Ó DONNGHAILE
Bunscoil Mhich Reachtain,
Béal Feirste
Those who still wish to defend the unborn child must continue to speak up
DUP colleagues and I, along with the TUV and UUP members Roy Beggs, Robbie Butler, Alan Chambers and Robin Swann signed a recall petition spearheaded by Baroness O’Loan and Both Lives Matter. That petition recalled the assembly last Monday to thwart Westminster’s extreme abortion legislation coming to pass.
Some have queried why we left it to October 21. The answer is simple, we worked for and tried to secure the restoration of devolution right to the last day. A deal would have automatically stopped this legislation given that an executive would have formed. My party leader also made it clear that the DUP was willing to legislate on the Irish language. However, Sinn Féin did not want to do a deal with their lengthening list of demands and their desire to sit outside the assembly and allow Westminster legislate for them.
Even without a deal, the assembly could have stopped this legislation. The SDLP had it within their power to overturn this law but instead they took their steer from Sinn Féin.
The SDLP stood on a pro-life manifesto yet they couldn’t step out from SF’s shadow. The pro-life electorate will not forget the SDLP’s weakness.
The SDLP had the power to support the election of a speaker but yet decided to walk out of the chamber. The election of a speaker would have allowed my party colleague Paul Givan MLA to bring forward a private member’s bill that would have kicked into touch the most liberal abortion laws in the whole of Europe being forced on the people of Northern Ireland without any say or consultation.
For those who still wish to defend the unborn child we must continue to speak up. It is our duty to make every effort to repeal this barbaric and inhumane law.
As the people of Northern Ireland gain a deeper understanding of these extreme abortion laws, they will make a judgment on abortion and those parties who stepped back from intervening.
We stand up for animal rights and we must speak up for our little unborn babies.
CARLA LOCKHART MLA
DUP, Upper Bann
Two scenarios not compatible
Eugene F Parte (October 21) asks why there is such an outcry over China’s treatment of the Hong Kong protesters and nothing about Israel’s alleged treatment of ‘unarmed marchers’ on the Gaza/Israel border. The two scenarios are not compatible.
Firstly it has been relatively quiet on the border between Israel and Gaza over the past few weeks. Secondly, when violence does erupt the world’s press are always there, reporting the outcome.
Hamas’s stated aim is to destroy the state of Israel.
Hamas is an internationally recognised terrorist organisation which seized power from the Palestinian Authority and in 2007, two years after Israel left Gaza.
So what do we have now? Thousands of rockets fired by Hamas/Palestinian Islamic Jihad into Israel. With what purpose? Negotiation or compromise? No, with the explicit aim of killing Jews. What does that remind your readers of? As for the weekly ‘protests’ on the Israel/Gaza border. These are orchestrated by Hamas. They are not peaceful protests.
ANDREW J SHAW
Belfast BT10
Gazans have not rights in Israel
Gaza is not within Israeli territory, not administered by Israel and not occupied by Israel. Gaza is not under Israeli jurisdiction, sovereignty nor other responsibility.
If the inhabitants find their situation stressed it might help the Gazans to practise honest government and if instead of rioting and rocketing their neighbours they could try talking to them – Egypt as much as Israel.
By their own choice Gazans are not Israeli citizens so have no rights in Israel – just visitors’ courtesy.
Given the declarations and intentions of Gaza’s leaders about Israel, it is faintly ridiculous to claim citizens’ and human rights in a state Gazans say does not exist and if it does, ought to be destroyed.
FRANK ADAM
Prestwich, Manchester
