Schoolchildren in Greece will be forced to keep their phones in their bags for the duration of the academic year, which begins on September 11. The new school regulations were presented after a meeting between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Education Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis.
"Students can bring their phones to school, but they have to keep them inside their bag for the whole day they will be at school," said the Greek Prime Minister.
"The scientific data on how the use of cell phones during the day at school affects the learning process itself is sad. From the distraction to other important issues, it is clear that cell phones have no place in school during school days", he continued.
"Mobile Phones Should Not Have a Place in Schools": Greek Prime Minister Outlines 11 Changes for the New School Year https://t.co/hd0n1hr5jk pic.twitter.com/CvVBPlvEeX
— Greek City Times (@greekcitytimes) August 30, 2024
According to the new rules, students who do not respect the regulation will be expelled from school for 1 day. In case of repeated violations, teachers can remove them from classes for several days. Anyone filming classmates or teachers without permission could face expulsion.
"We don't necessarily expect you to agree 100% from day one, but we want children, their parents and guardians to understand the importance of focusing students entirely on the educational process at school," Mitsotakis said.
The rules were added to the proposal presented in March, following an incident in which some students were expelled from school for filming their classmates and mocking them online. This is not the first time that such a system has been created in Greece for the use of cell phones at school, which officials have called a "significant distraction". Previously, in 2002, there was also a general ban on mobile phones in schools, but teachers said they had difficulty enforcing the rule.
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