Le téléphone portable à l’école : entre ouverture au monde numérique et vigilance éducative (Par M. Khadiyatoulah Fall)
Senegalese schools are currently facing a major question: should the use of mobile phones in schools be banned or regulated? The question, which permeates both classrooms and public debates, goes beyond a simple disciplinary issue. It involves educational, social, and technological choices that will determine how new generations learn, collaborate, and integrate into a globalized digital world.
Real promises in a context of limited resources
In a country where school infrastructure is often inadequate, the mobile phone appears to be a tool for rapid access to information . Many students have a device before they have a personal computer. For some, it represents a pocket library: digital textbooks, educational videos, support forums.
The experiences of Senegalese teachers using WhatsApp or Telegram to extend lessons show that thoughtful use can help track absent students, share documents, or spark discussions after class. UNESCO, in its report Technology in Education: A Tool on the Move (2023), highlights that the telephone is often the first gateway to digital technology in countries of the South and that it can reduce certain inequalities in access to knowledge... provided that it is rigorously supervised.
International experience: between innovation and disillusionment
Elsewhere, the results are mixed.
• Rwanda : Pilot projects distributed educational smartphones with offline content; progress was noted in science, but distraction quickly reappeared without supervision.
• Kenya : The Digital Literacy Project program focused on tablets rather than phones, considering the latter difficult to regulate.
• Morocco and South Africa : several establishments have ended up limiting use after noticing cyberbullying and a drop in attention.
• Quebec (Canada) : In 2023, the Ministry of Education adopted a directive banning cell phones in the classroom except for planned educational use . Authorities cited studies showing that the presence of the phone reduces the ability to concentrate and undermines active learning, even when the device simply remains on the table.
These experiences remind us that there is no simple solution: neither blind prohibition nor total permissiveness.
The risks of uncontrolled use
Research in cognitive psychology and educational sciences (notably that synthesized by UNESCO and the OECD) warns:
• Distraction : The mere presence of the phone reduces sustained attention. Studies conducted in the United States, reported in the UNESCO 2022 reports, show a significant drop in performance when the device remains visible.
• Cyberviolence : rumors, harassment, dissemination of compromising images are facilitated.
• Increased inequalities : students from modest backgrounds do not have the same devices or the same connection, risking double penalization.
• Cheating and plagiarism : easy access to answers during exams or homework.
The Senegalese context: between digital modernity and educational challenges
1. Uneven infrastructure : Many institutions lack computer labs and stable Wi-Fi access. The phone becomes a tool for circumvention, but also a factor in disorder.
2. Teacher training : few have received support to integrate digital technology in a didactic manner.
3. Connected youth : according to ARTP, more than 70% of young urban dwellers have a smartphone; but their uses often remain recreational (social networks, short videos), with little focus on learning.
4. School-youth relationship : banning without explanation can reinforce the feeling of a school disconnected from the reality of the students.
Towards a middle way: intelligent supervision
The Quebec example is instructive. The province has not banned phones outright, but has opted for a default ban with pedagogical openness : a teacher can authorize use during specific activities (research, data recording in science, video projects). Such a policy makes it possible to:
• maintain concentration during lessons;
• prepare for responsible use of digital technology;
• reduce inequalities by requiring schools to provide institutional access (computers, tablets, online resources).
Senegal could draw inspiration from this model while adapting:
• National charter for digital use in schools drawn up by the ministry;
• Continuing training of teachers in digital pedagogies;
• Digital citizenship education programs (cybersecurity, critical thinking, screen time management);
• Public investments to avoid delegating digital learning to personal phones alone.
Conclusion: a societal debate, not just an academic one
The mobile phone reveals a broader issue: how to educate Senegalese youth capable of navigating a digital world while maintaining attention, fairness, and critical thinking? Rather than answering with a simple "yes" or "no," the country would benefit from co-constructing a national policy for the use of digital education , drawing inspiration from African and international experiences but attentive to its social realities.
Mr. Khadiyatoulah Fall, Professor Emeritus, Quebec, Canada
Commentaires (8)
Merci prof pour cette pertinente contribution/
Voilà une contribution avec une démarche scientifique exemplaire Un bench intéressant qui aide à prendre une décision Merci beaucoup
Merci Professeur.pour votre contribution hautement scientifique
Excellente contribution. A des années lumières des réactions des syndicats d'enseignants complètement dépassés. Merci
Merci pour cet éclairage. Instructif.
Très riche contribution professeur. Le portable a toujours été interdit dans les écoles. C'est cette année que l'interdiction a un caractère officiel. L'application de la mesure sera extrêmement difficile à cause des effectifs pléthoriques.
Sénégal a récemment pris une décision majeure concernant l’usage des téléphones portables en milieu scolaire :
Interdiction officielle
- Mesure annoncée en septembre 2025 par le ministère de l’Éducation nationale : interdiction stricte des téléphones portables dans tous les établissements scolaires, publics et privés.
- Objectifs : améliorer la concentration, restaurer la discipline, limiter les distractions et prévenir les risques comme le cyberharcèlement, le racket ou l’isolement social.
Exceptions et alternatives
- Outils numériques autorisés : tablettes, ordinateurs et liseuses à usage pédagogique, encadrés par les enseignants.
- Cas particuliers : élèves en situation de handicap ou nécessitant des dispositifs médicaux peuvent bénéficier d’exemptions.
Réactions et controverses
- Syndicats enseignants (SAEMSS) : dénoncent une décision unilatérale, jugée incohérente dans un contexte d’intégration du numérique et de l’intelligence artificielle dans l’éducation.
- Proposition alternative : création d’un Code d’Utilisation Éthique et Pédagogique du téléphone à l’école.
- Parents et professionnels de santé : partagés entre approbation (pour la santé mentale et la concentration) et inquiétude sur les modalités d’application.
Contexte éducatif
- L’usage excessif du téléphone est associé à une baisse des performances scolaires, comme le montre l’enquête PISA 2025.
- Le gouvernement poursuit parallèlement une stratégie numérique : formation des enseignants à l’IA, distribution d’ordinateurs aux élèves scientifiques, et élaboration d’une charte éthique pour l’usage des technologies en éducation.
Merci beaucoup mon cher frère et ami Professeur KFALL pour cette belle contribution d'une haute portée scientifique qui certainement permettra aux autorités de mieux orienter leurs choix adaptés à nos réalités socio-éducatives.
J’aimerai rencontrer ce professeur. Il est toujours intéressant dans ses contributions. Merci monsieur Fall
Nos dirigeants doivent éviter les décisions précipitées et collaborer avec les personnes pertinentes. Bravo pour cette contribution informative et formatrice.
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