The Parliament has approved regulations banning students from using mobile phones in schools, including during break times.
The Ministry of Education’s proposed changes will take effect immediately.
The ministry plans to implement the new rules gradually, providing a transitional period for student information and instruction before imposing penalties.
Demetris Taliadoros, president of the teachers’ union OELMEK, told Phileleftheros that while the decision is moving in the right direction, “we understand the burden that will fall on the shoulders of the school directors and colleagues for the implementation of these changes”. He appealed to parents to support the measure, advising “children not to bring their mobile phones to school, especially for those children who do not have reasons to need them”.
OELMEK favours a complete prohibition on bringing mobile phones to schools. Taliadoros explained, “We daily observe the negative use of mobile phones and other electronic devices by students, with the circulation of images of violence, and in some cases, with the ‘staging’ of such incidents to be recorded on their mobiles”.
The new regulations require students to keep their phones turned off in their bags throughout the school day. However, students have reacted negatively. Apostolis Apostolou from the Pan-Cypriot Coordinating Committee of Students (PSEM) expressed opposition to ALPHA’s morning show, arguing the ban would not solve school bullying.
The Ministry of Education welcomed the decision, stating that mobile phone use will only be allowed “under the supervision of an educator and serves a teaching act and educational process in general, and in cases where there is an emergency need for safety or health issues”.
The ministry emphasised that this regulation aligns with its priority of “the all-round and balanced development of students, as well as their overall well-being”. It aims to create a learning environment “without interventions and interferences” to improve learning outcomes and student well-being.
It stressed that the ban doesn’t diminish the importance of technology in education. The ministry plans to equip classrooms with modern technology and develop materials for digital literacy. It also intends to improve school environments, “making the school spaces more attractive for children, and in the creation of spaces for healthy and creative occupation, ensuring that even the break time will be used qualitatively”.
The use of mobile phones during class and school activities has been prohibited since 2011, with this new measure extending the ban to break times.
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