Mobile Guardian replacement: Chromebooks to get new app in Nov, iPads by Jan

SINGAPORE - Students with school-issued Chromebooks will be getting a new device management application (DMA) from November 2024, and those with iPads will have it installed by January 2025.

For Chromebooks, the new application is Lightspeed Systems, while iPads will be using the app Jamf, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Oct 24.

For Windows devices, Blocksi will remain as the device’s management app, MOE added. 

The DMA helps parents manage their children’s device use, restricting screen time and access to specific websites and apps.

“The new MOE DMA solutions are selected for their ability to meet core technology requirements and their compliance with the requisite security standards, including independent third-party security attestations and certifications,” the ministry said. 

The core technology requirements are mobile device management, usage management and classroom management services. 

“While no software solution is entirely foolproof, we have taken steps to ensure that the new MOE DMA solutions meet schools’ needs effectively,” the ministry said. 

The DMA aims to support students in learning how to use their devices safely and responsibly, helping to safeguard their cyber wellness, said MOE.

On Sept 10, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said that a new DMA will be rolled out by January 2025, after

the ministry stopped using the Mobile Guardian app in all students’ iPads and Chromebooks.

 

Mobile Guardian’s services were terminated at the end of August, after multiple incidents involving the app in 2024.

In that month, a cyber-security breach affected 13,000 devices, with one in six of these devices losing data.

Another incident occurred on July 30, when more than 1,000 students from at least five secondary schools were affected by a glitch on the app, which was due to human error in configuration by Mobile Guardian.

In April 2024, Mobile Guardian’s user management portal

was hacked due to poor password management practices,

which led to a data leak involving the names and e-mail addresses of parents and teachers of five primary schools and 122 secondary schools. 

Students using Chromebooks will have the Lightspeed Systems application installed automatically by the vendor by the end of November 2024, said MOE. Parents or students do not need to take any additional steps to install the application.

Lightspeed Systems is a software company based in Austin, Texas, in the US. It was founded in 1999.

For those using iPads, the application Jamf will be rolled out only in January 2025 as it requires a guided onboarding process in school.

The Straits Times understands that some schools have started holding briefings since Oct 23 for students about the new app. One Secondary 3 student told ST that during the briefing, she was told she would have to reset her iPad again.

Jamf, based in Minnesota in the US, was founded in 2002. Its software is designed to manage and secure Apple products such as iPads and iPhones.

Parents can choose to manage their child’s device after school hours, said MOE.

In a survey on Parents’ Gateway, a portal used by MOE to communicate with parents, three options are given for the DMA on children’s iPads – keep the in-school settings the same after school hours, modify the settings or render the app inactive after school hours.

For the last option, parents have been told that they will not be able to monitor or control their child’s use of the device after school hours, and there will be no restrictions on the content their child consumes.

MOE said schools will get training to use the new applications in November 2024, and it will provide resources to schools to help them with the deployment process, as well as to help students and parents. The ministry did not provide details on the training.

“MOE recognises that both schools and parents will need time to familiarise themselves with the new MOE DMA solutions and may encounter some teething issues,” said the ministry, adding that it will provide support and address issues that arise as the new apps are rolled out.