Mobile phone use in schools

According to the Ministry of Education, more than 6,043 students have been suspended for mobile phone use since the beginning of the school year.

While teachers have welcomed the new ban on mobile phones with relief, many parents have expressed strong opposition in defense of their children.

Education Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis reiterated on Friday the ministry’s intention to strictly enforce the ban on mobile phone use in schools. When asked whether it is wrong for teachers to use their phones when students are prohibited from doing so, he responded with a firm “yes.”

The Bulgarian Minister of Education and Science, Prof. Galin Tsokov, has proposed a pilot ban on mobile phones in select schools, with the aim of assessing its impact before potentially expanding the measure nationwide.

The debate is international: how to limit the use of mobile phones in schools, especially for children aged under 12. The answer is not easy. On the one hand, the practical implementation of prohibiting phones poses a big challenge, especially in Greek schools where students do not have lockers. On the other hand, mobile phones form a major part of children's social life.

Students who openly use their cell phone at school will face suspension of one day, while those who use their devices to make video recordings could be expelled, Education Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis has said.

In Budapest, thousands of students, teachers, and parents gathered to protest the dismissal of a high school principal who refused to comply with the government's phone ban in schools. The principal, who has 24 years of experience, was removed from his position after the interior minister issued an order citing his failure to adhere to the law as grounds for his dismissal.

The 11 changes that will be introduced in the new school year 2024-2025 were discussed today by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the leadership of the Education Ministry during their meeting at Megaro Maximou.

The first bell of the new teaching year will ring on Sept. 11 and with it will bring 11 major changes to all levels of school education:

Cyprus is to ban cell phone use in schools, the education minister said on Wednesday, saying they were too much of a distraction for students and led to anti-social behavior.

Authorities plan to introduce the ban once it is discussed with parliament, Minister Athena Michaelidou said.

Two out of three teenagers think that if they used their mobile phones less they would perform better at school, according to the finds of a survey of 2,291 high school students and graduates by the Poukamisas Educational Center, seeking to assess their relationship with their devices and the impact in and out of school.

Education for students who will be attending school for the first time or transferring to a higher level started today as part of the "adaptation programs," a week earlier than the regular academic year, while the Education Ministry has also implemented new regulations to reduce students' screen time on their digital devices.