According to local media, the UK government intends to ban mobile phones in schools across England.
According to the Daily Mail, citing an unknown source, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is set to announce the ban later Monday during the Conservative Party’s annual convention in Manchester.
According to the source, the new guidance would be provided to schools across England, instructing them to take action for infractions of the smartphone ban during teaching and breaks.
“Gillian believes that mobile phones pose a serious challenge in terms of distraction, disruptive behavior, and bullying,” a source told the newspaper.
“It is one of the biggest issues that children and teachers have to grapple with so she will set out a way forward to empower teachers to ban mobiles from classrooms,” said the statement.
Some schools have already implemented a mobile phone ban, with pupils obliged to hand in their phones each morning, while many others continue allow their usage, particularly during breaks.