A political agreement in Denmark is to pave the way for phone-free classrooms and schools, the Education Ministry said on Tuesday.
A majority in parliament has agreed on new rules that will see schools and childcare facilities (SFO) become mobile phone-free zones.
The agreement means a ban on phones in classrooms and at after-school clubs termed Skolefritidsordning, or SFO.
“Mobile phones at schools and after school clubs create unrest and disruption in children’s and young people’s daily lives,” Minister for Children and Education Mattias Tesfaye said in a statement.
“I’m pleased that we are now confronting them so we can focus on what’s most important – concentration, community and calm,” he said.
Opposition parties the Social Liberals, Liberal Alliance, Conservatives, Danish People’s Party and Socialist People’s party all back the plan along with the coalition government, meaning parties from the far right to the left wing are behind it.
The agreement will implement a law requiring the boards of schools and after-school clubs to introduce rules that make them phone-free.
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The rules must apply to smart phones as well as other devices with internet access, but exempt tablets or computers that are used for lessons. Such devices must be used for the correct purposes, the agreement states.
Other exemptions can be applied for health reasons, for instance if a student needs an app to monitor their blood sugar level.
Students with special educational needs should be allowed phones or tablets to help them in the relevant cases, it also says.
The Education Ministry is to produce a template rule set which schools can use, but schools themselves will be responsible for setting out their specific policies.
