Jess Casey: €9m spend on phone pouches may overshadow Government come election

Presented as a timely mental health initiative by the Government, teachers’ unions have bluntly labeled the move as a distraction from the day-to-day issues blighting the education sector, writes Jess Casey

Phoneawaybox for pupils at Gaelcholáiste Charraig Uí Leighin. Picture: Dan Linehan

You don’t have to spend much time in the classroom to know that teenagers are true masters of innovation, the likes of which the brains in the tech sector could only ever dream.

When schools were first fitted with C02 monitors to check ventilation levels during the pandemic, reports reached this desk of resourceful students around the country copping on to the fact that blowing on the devices in such a way could trigger an impromptu break to air out the classroom.