Greece Bans Mobile Phones in Schools
Greece’s Education Ministry has banned mobile phones in primary and secondary schools and will also prohibit the operation of security cameras during school hours.
According to Education Minister, Kostas Gavroglou, teachers will be allowed to carry mobile phones only for teaching purposes.
The ministry prohibits the use of mobile phones and electronic devices by students during school hours, especially devices that allow them to process image and sound.
The use of private mobile phones by teachers is allowed only for teaching purposes and always within the framework and rules for the protection of personal data.
Teachers will be allowed to use devices such as PC’s laptops, tablets, interactive boards which are provided by the school.
The use of cameras in schools is also forbidden as well as the posting of videos that include any images or footage of students.
The new rule also bans photos and videos with students in schools.
The processing and the posting and storage on digital media of material from commemorative pictures and videos from school life is allowed only with the consent of the students’ parents and assigned guardians. Until now, students had the right to use cellphones during their breaks. The new bill includes the ban of all electronic devices and games that have image and sound processing systems.
The ban does not extend to teachers, who still have the right to use their own cellphones and tablets, even inside the classroom, “in the context of the educational process in general and in compliance with the safety rules and the relevant provisions on the protection of private information of pupils and teachers”.
As the ministry announcement points out, taking photographs or shooting videos of other students and teachers should be prohibited, and so is the posting of the above on social media.
According to Article 5 of the bill, the processing, posting and storage of photographs will only be permitted when the pupils’ guardians give their consent. At the same time, the use and operation of security cameras in school rooms is no longer allowed.
For this reason, the hours of operation of the safety closed circuit systems should be clearly indicated on information boards “so that all students and members of the educational community are aware that they are not being monitored during their school attendance”.
