Mallorca children vote: school bags beat screen time

Mallorca: 65 primary school pupils from Palma and Fornalutx take MPs’ seats in the Balearic Parliament on Friday and pledge to cut screen time. But when they vote on their favourite promise, getting school bags and clothes ready before bed comes first. The pupils, in their fifth and sixth years of primary school, are taking part in a mock sitting organised by Aldeas Infantiles SOS.

A vote on everyday promises

Pupils from La Miraculosa school in Palma and a school in Fornalutx read out pledges about school, home and how they treat others. The Fornalutx pupils focus on listening to and helping classmates, taking responsibility for their decisions and learning from mistakes. The La Miraculosa pupils talk about how screens affect their daily lives and the need to meet their obligations even during leisure time.

Each child puts a vote in a ballot box. After preparing bags and clothes, managing screen time better comes second. Respecting and helping classmates takes third place.

What the pupils ask MPs

While the votes are counted, the children ask the parliament’s deputy speaker, Mauricio Rovira, what MPs are debating. He points to proposed laws limiting vehicles entering Mallorca and Menorca, and the 2027 budget bill.

Catalina Isern, the Balearic government’s director general for families, children, youth and diversity, says the pupils’ pledges will be taken into account. The children developed them at school with their families, she says, and may find them easier to keep because they chose them themselves.

Topics: Education · Palma · Fornalutx

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com