Eton College is an elite school of the aristocracy whose status is the same as Malay College Kuala Kangsar in Malaysia. The 584-year-old school has produced several UK prime ministers, attended by princes and children of the ruling caste. But starting this year, new Eton students will no longer be allowed to use smartphones.
At the start of the new term next September, first year students will only be allowed to bring SIM cards to school. The school will then give each student a Nokia phone without any of these features. Action was taken by school management after the UK government allowed head teachers to ban smartphones to avoid distractions during learning sessions. For students of other years, the use of smartphones is allowed but will be controlled by the school.
This action taken is drastic and brave considering that Eton College is a private boarding school with fees reaching £50,000 (RM 300,000) a year. In the UK, 97% of children already own a smartphone by the age of 12.