Neuruppin starts project: Students without cell phones in class!

Neuruppin starts project: Students without cell phones in class!

A lot is happening in the educational landscape in tranquil Neuruppin. At the Fontane High School, around 150 students in the 7th and 8th grades have launched an exciting project on cell phone use. Here, the young people have to hand in their cell phones in a special box before class and can only receive them again after school. This project, which goes by the title “cell phone-free school”, was developed in close cooperation with parents, teachers and the school conference and is to be continued in the coming years. The results so far are promising: So far there have only been three violations of the regulations and the Schillers are flocking to the classroom in full.

Again maz online reports, the discussion about cell phone bans in schools is also supported by a current study by the University of Augsburg. This study shows that a corresponding ban has positive effects on the social climate and the learning performance of students. Schools therefore benefit from improved social well-being of students, which not only promotes learning but also increases concentration during lessons.

Positive effects for students and the school community

The results of the study support the efforts of many educational institutions to critically question cell phone use in everyday school life. It was found that cell phones can not only disrupt learning processes, but also increase the risk of cyberbullying. The findings show that a ban on cell phones can make schools safer, especially for younger children. However, the scientists recommend that such bans should be combined with educational measures to promote the responsible use of technology. It should also be possible to use smartphones as teaching tools in class in order to strengthen students' media skills, as shown in an article by tagesschau.de emerges.

Such bans have been in place for some time in many countries, including France and Italy. There has also been a ban on cell phones in schools in Great Britain and the Netherlands since 2024. In Germany, after the decline in student performance in the 2022 PISA study, there is increasing pressure to create similar regulations. However, responsibility for this lies with the individual federal states, which can set their own requirements for school matters.

A look at the district elections and construction work

But it's not just education that is being discussed in Neuruppin. The district election in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district is just around the corner - votes can be cast on June 7, 2024. However, incumbent Ralf Reinhardt (SPD) has not yet clearly decided to run again. His colleague Thomas Kresse, on the other hand, wants to concentrate on re-election as director and is ruling out a candidate for the district administrator election. Frank-Rudi Schwochow from BVB/Free Voters is keeping all options open and waiting for reports from other political parties.

In addition to the elections, the cityscape is also changing: In Wittstock, two apartment blocks on Käthe-Kollwitz-Straße will be equipped with new or expanded balconies next year after one apartment block was demolished. The residential landscape has already changed remarkably.

How Neuruppin has made considerable progress in the search for a suitable nuclear waste repository remains exciting. At the moment the city is not one of the candidates because the region is considered unsuitable. The federal government has not yet examined all potential areas in Germany, while employees like Arik Noack from Lindow are using innovative drone technology to provide precise data for planning construction and renovation projects, including a digital twin for the Berlin-Hamburg railway line. Such technologies promise to significantly increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness in urban development.

In Neuruppin it becomes clear how complex the issues surrounding education, politics and urban development intertwine and influence people's lives.