Also applies to teachers

Italy bans cell phones in classrooms

From the new school year in September, cell phones will be banned in Italian classrooms - for both pupils and teachers. Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara signed a circular banning the use of cell phones, including for teaching purposes.

"I don't think you can teach well with a cell phone. And of course this does not mean the use of tablets or PCs, which may only be used under the supervision of the teacher," said Valditara

He therefore ordered that "for the next school year and the following years, the old-fashioned school calendar will be reintroduced, in which the child writes down their schoolwork with a pen. We have to get our children used to using pen and paper again," said the minister.

According to UNESCO, fewer than one in four countries prohibit the use of cell phones. In 2018, France banned cell phones in schools. Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands subsequently followed the same path.

Since the right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took office in October 2022, the Ministry of Education in Italy has been called the "Ministry of Education and Merit". Meloni is thus clearly signaling that performance should count more in the Italian school system in future.