The didactic use of tablets and computers in schools, which accelerated exponentially during the pandemic, is under review in light of the latest decisions of several communities, such as Murcia and Madrid, and the central government itself, which already has a law in place to limit it.
According to data collected by EFE, some communities defend their 'hybrid' model in which digital and analog coexist, such as Aragon and Asturias, while other autonomous regions such as Valencia, Navarra, Galicia or Catalonia, do not rule out reviewing their strategies soon.
When the health emergency broke out and students and teachers were confined to their homes, technologies played a decisive role in saving the course.
That infrastructure has been maintained five years later, and in many schools it has required investments to make room for tablets and computers, to the detriment of textbooks, notebooks and pencils. Now, several administrations are rethinking the balance between these tools.
The Community of Madrid (PP) announced on March 19 that from next year it will limit the use of these tools to return to the essence of education, but adapted to the present. They will be banned in the 0-3 year cycle, and there will be a maximum of two hours per week in Infant and Primary school.
In Secondary school, the centers will delimit the use according to the characteristics of the teachings, the age and the maturity of their students.
The Government of Murcia (PP) has also 'redefined' the digitization process of its centers and next year the exposure to screens will be restricted to one hour a day in Primary school, and two in Secondary school, always with the supervision of the teacher.
Although educational competences are transferred to the communities, the Government of Pedro Sánchez has included this type of measures in the bill to protect minors in digital environments, approved this Tuesday in the Council of Ministers, and which will require regulating the use of computers and tablets in all non-university education cycles and that schools develop an annual digital plan.
In any case, the law guarantees and takes into account the digital competences that must be achieved in each stage and that are marked by the Education Law (LOMLOE).
The regulation in the rest of the communities is disparate:
Andalusia
For the Junta (PP), it is the centers that regulate the use of digital devices for educational uses.
The Andalusian Government has provided the centers with more than 400,000 devices in recent years. The textbook coexists with digital resources.
Aragon
The PP Government has not considered limiting the use of digital devices in schools so far, considering that we should not turn our backs on technological advances and students should be trained in skills that they will use later. It maintains a hybrid model.
Asturias
The Principality is in favor of combining all the tools. "You cannot live with your back to the digital age and technology" nor forget the traditional methods, they say from the Ministry of Education.
Balearic Islands
This same year, the Government of the Balearic Islands (PP) has extended the restriction on the individual use of mobile devices in schools, which applies to Early Childhood Education and the first three years of Primary school, except in specific programs with digital platforms, where it is limited to a maximum of one hour per week.
In the fourth year of Primary school, it is allowed to use individual devices for a maximum of one hour a day, while in the fifth and sixth year the number of hours can be extended, according to the pedagogical objectives or in specific cases.
Canary Islands
The coalition government of CC and PP plans to limit the use of digital devices in classrooms and "it will be the teachers who determine to what extent they should be used" in schools.
Cantabria
The management of the Cantabrian schools is the one that authorizes the use of devices and under what conditions.
Castilla-La Mancha
In the classrooms of Castilla-La Mancha (PSOE), the plan is to continue as before: only electronic devices are used for pedagogical purposes and the individual use of mobile phones is prohibited.
In exceptional situations in which face-to-face classes are canceled, the "tele-education system" with digital devices is maintained.
Castilla y León
In Castilla y León, the PP Government has not considered, for the moment, any change: the digital whiteboard is installed as another tool that coexists peacefully with books and notebooks.
Catalonia
The Generalitat, now in the hands of the PSC, allows devices to be used in Secondary school for pedagogical activities and under authorization, although it plans to extend the restriction.
Valencian Community
The Valencian Government (PP) is studying the convenience of taking "a further step" in the case of schools that use books or materials in digital format, which implies taking the device home to do homework.
The proposal will be presented to the unions in April and will be debated with associations of parents and teachers.
Extremadura
For a year now, in Extremadura it has been allowed depending on the programming of the course organized by the centers and "it does not establish time limits or educational stage, but it is understood that the centers manage the time appropriately when applying technology in the educational field".
Galicia
In Galicia, the PP Government is also committed to a "hybrid" education system where new technologies coexist with traditional methods.
The Xunta initially ruled out limiting the use of tablets or computers, as Madrid proposed, and is working on a future digital education law. It also wants to update its E-Dixgal digital classroom program.
Navarra
In Navarra, the instructions for the start of the course are regulated annually, according to which it is the schools that regulate the list of personal digital devices of students, such as mobile phones, tablets, smart watches, headphones, etcetera. Its use is only allowed within the programmed educational activities authorized by the center itself, depending on the cycles and stages.
The autonomous government (PSOE) plans to address these measures next year in the new Foral Decree of Coexistence, of greater regulatory rank.
Basque Country
The Basque educational system has computers and tablets in the centers and is, in fact, one of the communities with the highest proportion of this type of devices, according to data provided by the Basque Government (PNV), with a ratio of one computer for every 1.4 students.
La Rioja
The government of La Rioja (PP) allows the use of digital devices, provided they are used for pedagogical purposes and under the supervision of a teacher alternating with traditional methods, such as blackboards, books or notebooks.
