The “Lerarenkaart”, a card for members of the teaching profession that entitles them to price reductions on products and services and other advantages, is to be made available in a printable version again. This means that those teachers that wish to will be able to have a paper version of the card rather than having to download an app onto a smartphone.
Card for members of the teaching profession to be available in printable version again after complaint from Ghent teacher is upheld
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The decision to make the card available in printed version again comes after a teacher from the East Flemish city of Ghent lodged a complaint with the Flemish Human Right Institute because he believed it to be unfair that he was unable to take advantages of the offers that are open to those that have the card as it was only available digitally.
The teacher, David Bratzlavsky, says that he is very pleased with the decision and he intends to carry on the fight against the exclusion of those that don’t have a smartphone.
“This is a great pick-me-up for us and it gives us the strength to carry on the fight. People that consciously choose to live without having a smartphone should be entitled to the same advantages as other people. It’s a form of discrimination otherwise”. Mr Bratzlavsky lodged his complaint in February.
The teaching magazine Klasse confirms that an alternative for the digital “Lerarenkaart” is now being worked on and it is the intention that teachers that don’t have a smartphone will be able to take advantage of the offers that are open to holders of the digital version of the card.
Meanwhile, Mr Bratzlavsky says that is also pleased that the Flemish Human Rights Institute (VMRI) has upheld his complaint. "Previously this was not the case, but now VMRI considers us to be a group of people that have made a philosophical choice to live without a smartphone”.
The start of a wider campaign
The “Lerarenkaart” is only is start of a wider campaign that Mr Bratzlavsky and his supporters intend to wage against the enforced digitalisation of our daily lives. They believe that having a smartphone should be a matter of freedom of choice and not something that is forced on people as a matter of necessity if they wish to be able to access services.
"We have received a lot of reactions to our campaign regarding the ‘Lerarenkaart’. There needs to be a broad social debate concerning life without smartphones”.
A Facebook group has been launched to bring together those that wish to live without a smartphone and to highlight the issues that they encounter.