Parents & students can reach each other via school office, no need for students to own or use phones: Jasmin Lau

Should parents or their child need to contact each other during school hours, they can relay the message through the school's general office, and there is no need for students to own or use their phones, Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau said in Parliament on Jan. 13.

Lau was responding to questions filed by Member of Parliament for Sembawang West SMC Poh Li San on how schools will address parents' concerns about the need for emergency communication with their child.

Protocols in place during emergencies

Poh's questions were filed in view of the new smartphone usage policy in schools, which kicked in at the start of 2026.

Apart from concerns about emergencies, Poh also asked about how the Ministry of Education (MOE) will ensure that teachers are not additionally burdened by the need to enforce the new rules.

In her reply, Lau shared that the MOE has engaged school leaders and provided resources like implementation guidelines, answers to frequently asked questions and examples of good practices.

On enforcement, schools formulate their own policies based on their student profile and needs, while MOE provides guidelines.

Schools also have protocols in place for emergency situations.

"Should parents have an urgent message to relay to their children, they can contact the school's general office," Lau said.

Students who need to reach their parents may do the same.

"There is no need for students to own or use a handphone," Lau concluded.

Parents supportive of ban: Lau

While there had been a variety of feedback so far, by and large, parents are supportive of the ban, the Minister of State shared in response to a supplementary question raised by Poh.

Poh had asked about the feedback on the ground so far and if the ban would extend to handheld gaming devices.

Lau also shared that MOE and schools are still working together on the implementation of the new measure.

"We are also mindful that the ban should improve the overall experience of both teachers and students in the school," Lau said, adding that the ministry remains open to feedback from school leaders and teachers.

Top image via Canva, MDDI / YouTube