site.btaEducation Minister Expects Ban on Mobile Devices in Class to Make Children More Focused and Productive

The ban on mobile phones in class will most likely come into force in November, Minister of Education and Science Krasimir Valchev told reporters here on Tuesday. According to him, the change will make children more focused and productive.

“There is a ban in place right now. It prohibits the use of phones during class. Even the text is exactly the same, but that was back in the days when phones were more like phones and less like smartphones. Today, we are talking about screen devices, as we have proven their harmful effects,” Minister Valchev said.

"According to a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, we are one of the countries that spend the most time in front of screens. The largest percentage of this time is spent for non-educational purposes. They call it distraction. Our students have the highest percentage of distraction - in school and outside of school," said the minister. Valchev also appealed to parents to limit the use of screen devices in the family environment so that they do not have a negative impact on children. 

Valchev pointed out that one of the main problems in the system is the two-shift system (classes held in morning and afternoon shifts). "I have again prepared a letter to schools asking them to hold discussions with the teaching and parenting communities to discuss the possibility of starting the school day later, because all analyses show that when they start half an hour to an hour later, motivation to learn and results improve. This is most difficult to achieve when schools operate on a two-shift system," said Valchev.

The minister commented on the issue following the opening of a new kindergarten in Kostinbrod.