Say what? Schools remove analogue clocks because kids can’t read them

A broken clock is right twice a day, but that doesn’t matter if you are a teenager in the United Kingdom.

Why? Because they can’t tell the time anyway – at least not from an analogue clock.

Some schools in the UK have decided to remove the clocks from classrooms because teens are having trouble understanding them. 

Yes, you read right, the tech-savvy youth cannot read analogue clocks because their smart devices have made them more comfortable with digital time.

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News about the decision first surfaced last year, and the older generation was understandably shocked by the decision.

According to The Telegraph, pupils sitting for their GCSE and A-level exams complained that they were unsure about how much time they had left during the tests because of the clocks.

Malcolm Trobe, a teacher’s union leader in the UK, said traditional clocks in exam rooms might cause unnecessary stress for some pupils.

“You don’t want them to put their hand up to ask how much time is left…. There is actually a big advantage in using digital clocks in exam rooms because it is much less easy to mistake a time on a digital clock when you are working against time,” he told the publication.

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But social media users are not convinced.

“Big mistake.  Analog clocks are usually childrens first exposure to fractions and are important in later thinking in relationship to understanding pie graphs and later becoming comfortable with statistics. This is only my opinion,” one Twitter user wrote.

Some accused teachers of not doing enough to teach learners the basics.

“They don't teach cursive anymore. They done changed the way they teach simple math. Now they taking out how to read an analog clock as if they won't still be around. It's ridiculous.”

One Twitter user suggested a simple solution to the problem: “Keep the clocks and remove the kids.” 

What is the adulting skill you wish you had learned at school? Let us know below.

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