Directive banning the use of mobile phones by students and teachers comes into effect

September 26, 2025

With a new directive from the Ministry of Education, published in the Official Gazette, the use of mobile phones and other related devices is prohibited for students and teachers in all pre-university educational institutions in the country.

According to this directive, students will not be allowed to use mobile phones while on school premises. Devices must be placed in designated boxes in the classroom at the beginning of lessons and remain switched off or in “Airplane” mode until the end of the school day.

Teachers are also prohibited from using their phones during lessons, except in emergency cases or for pedagogical reasons approved by the school administration.

The directive specifies that in case of violation, the device will be taken by the teacher and handed over to the school administration. Parents will be notified immediately and must come to the school to retrieve the device. In case of repeated violations, disciplinary measures are foreseen, such as participation in awareness activities or stricter measures for high school students.

Parents are required to cooperate with the school, be informed about the rules, and ensure that their children do not use mobile phones while at school.

The implementation of this directive is based on national and international principles and is part of efforts to increase discipline, improve concentration in lessons, and strengthen direct communication between students and teachers.

What the directive stipulates

Prohibition of the use of mobile phones and devices connected to the phone

The use of mobile phones and related devices by students during the learning process and while in pre-university educational institutions is prohibited. The use of mobile phones and related devices during lessons is also prohibited for teachers, except in emergency cases, as specified in the school regulations, or when the use is directly related to proven pedagogical or organizational needs of the learning process allowed by the school administration. Any device found or used unlawfully within the school premises will be taken by the teacher and handed over to the school administration until the end of the school day.

Responsibilities of the School Administration

The administration of the pre-university educational institution (school) is responsible for:

a) ensuring that each classroom has a box/drawer for the deposit of mobile phones and devices connected to them, in cases where the student has brought them to school. The mobile phone must be switched off or in “Airplane” mode and placed in the designated classroom box at the beginning of the learning process until its end;

b) ensuring that teaching staff are responsible for enforcing the rule in the classroom according to the provisions set out in the school’s internal regulations;

c) defining in the school’s internal regulations the duties and responsibilities of school leaders, teachers, security officers and psychosocial service staff, students, and parents, related to the implementation of this directive;

d) ensuring that this rule is communicated to all students and their parents/guardians at the beginning of the school year;

e) organizing meetings with parents to inform them about the rules and the importance of following them. Parents must confirm that they have been informed and accept this rule;

f) informing parents/guardians of the student, according to the school’s internal regulations, through the digital communication notebook in the Pre-University Information Management System (SMIP), about the prohibition of mobile phone use during the entire learning process;

g) periodically reporting on the implementation of this directive to the local pre-university education office (ZVAP) regarding the results and measures taken.

The Role and Co-responsibility of Parents or Guardians

The parent or guardian must cooperate with the school in implementing this directive, ensuring that the student does not bring or use a mobile phone or related devices during school hours. If the parent/guardian requires the child to carry a mobile phone at school, they must inform the school administration at the beginning of the school year and commit to instructing the child that the device must be switched off or placed in “Airplane” mode in the designated box/drawer and not used during school, except in cases agreed upon with the school administration and defined in its internal regulations.

Procedure in Case of Violation

The administration of the pre-university educational institution, in case of violation of this directive, is obliged to immediately notify the parent/guardian through the Pre-University Information Management System (SMIP) and other school communication means.

The mobile phone and related devices will be returned to the parent/guardian after school hours, when they present themselves at the school, and the student will be officially notified in writing of the measure taken by the institution.

Measures in Case of Violations

For the first violation of this rule by the student, the measure taken will be “counseling,” accompanied by a note from the class teacher, who also notifies the parent in writing and via the digital notebook in SMIP. This notification includes the confiscation and return of the mobile phone/device through the school administration.

The parent must come to the school to collect the device.

In case of repeated violations by primary education students, it is considered a repeated offense and the following measures will be taken:

a) counseling through the School Discipline Committee in the presence of the student and parent;

b) student participation in special educational or advisory sessions, or in community activities related to civic and digital education, in cooperation with school clubs, of which the parent will be informed.

For high school students, repeated violations will be considered serious, and progressively stricter disciplinary measures defined in the school’s internal regulations will be applied.

Pre-university institutions, in order to ensure effective implementation of this directive, may also add additional awareness-raising, sensitizing, and educational measures for students in their internal regulations.

“KORÇA BOOM”