Ban on Phones in Schools: Krasimir Valchev on the New Measures

The ban on the use of mobile phones in schools is expected to come into effect in January, after the amendments to the Law on Pre-School and School Education are adopted on second reading. This was announced by the Minister of Education and Science, Krasimir Valchev, during a visit to the village of Tarnava, Byala Slatina municipality. The Minister stressed that before the law officially comes into force, approximately 800 schools have already introduced the ban, taking a decision at the level of school management.

Valchev pointed out that a more significant issue is how students use their mobile phones outside of school. The ban in schools is only part of the problem. If students continue to spend an average of three hours a day using mobile devices outside of school, this will have negative consequences for the development of other important skills. Children develop addiction, which impairs their concentration and critical thinking. The Minister explained that the use of phones damages the prefrontal part of the brain, and these changes can already be observed through EEG studies.

The Minister cited a study conducted in 88 countries, which shows that Bulgarian students occupy second place in terms of time spent in front of screens, with the least amount of time dedicated to educational purposes, and the predominant time being used for social networks. "Therefore, we are also opening the topic of the use of social networks. Whether we will reach a restriction or not is a matter of discussions," said the Minister of Education. He added that there is a common European initiative, led by the Danish presidency and the Danish Prime Minister, which suggests that sooner or later there will be restrictions. Valchev noted that restrictions already exist when registering on different platforms, but the question is how to make these restrictions more effective. According to him, discussions on this topic are forthcoming.

The Minister also quoted the words of the Danish Prime Minister, who notes that we initially gave phones to children so that we could connect with them, but in reality, we have released a "monster from a cage". Valchev stressed that the efforts to limit the time spent in front of screens should be joint between the education system and parents.

The occasion for Krasimir Valchev's visit to Tarnava was the opening of a new gym in the "Hristo Botev" Primary School. The gym was built with funds from the Ministry of Education and Science and is worth nearly BGN 1.5 million. At the site, the Minister met with teachers from the Byala Slatina municipality. The Mayor of Byala Slatina municipality, Ivo Tsvetkov, the Member of Parliament Krasen Krastev (GERB-SDS), the Regional Governor Nikolay Nikolov, as well as the head of the Regional Education Directorate, Loreta Koleva, were present at the celebration.