We live in an age where digital reigns, and so it’s no surprise to hear that parents in the Republic of Ireland are concerned about how time spent behind the screen is affecting our children’s behaviour, safety and health.
According to a new survey conducted by MummyPages.ie across Ireland’s largest community of mums, online safety is a major concern when it comes to education.
In its fifth Back-to-School survey, MummyPages.ie discovered that a whopping 77% of parents believe being ‘digitally responsible’ and ‘safe online’ needs to be included as an integral part of a child’s education each year.
Indeed, the majority of mums surveyed (88%) admitted that they would like to see a more formal approach to the integration of digital skills and media within the curriculum.
Digital already plays a major role in daily school life: almost a fifth (19%) of primary school parents avail of a community Facebook page, while almost three-quarters (72%) receive the majority of school communication via email or text.
What is clear from the MummyPages.ie community is that this reliance on digital – both in the classroom and at home – needs to be developed and put on a formal footing by our Government.
Laura Erskine, Mum-in-Residence for MummyPages.ie explains: “Our parents believe that digital technology should not only be embraced as a tool for learning but it needs to be a curriculum subject in its own right.”
“While the Education Minister has asked for skills for coding to be included in the maths syllabus from primary school, this positive step needs to be married with greater investment in technology resources within schools and broadband access nationwide,” Laura added.
