The measures are part of the XXV Constitutional Government program, submitted today to the Assembly of the Republic by the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Carlos Abreu Amorim.
In the section dedicated to Education, Science, and Innovation, the government essentially reaffirms the goals and measures outlined in the previous program, some of which were interrupted following the government’s collapse, such as the revision of the Teaching Career Statute, a process the team led by Fernando Alexandre aims to complete by the end of the legislative term.
One of the new elements, however, concerns the rules for smartphone use in schools, where the government intends to implement “effective measures.”
Notably, the government program proposes prohibiting smartphones from the 1st to the 6th grade, that is, up to 12 years of age.
In the 3rd cycle, the objective is “to promote a culture of limited, responsible, and adapted use,” and from the 10th grade onward, students will have greater freedom in mobile phone use, with only “responsible and adapted use” stipulated.
The measures are already in effect, but currently in the form of recommendations, issued at the beginning of the 2024/2025 school year, and their implementation would be evaluated to support a decision by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation (MECI).
Conclusions regarding schools’ adherence to the mobile phone usage recommendations are expected to be disclosed at the end of the academic year.
Currently, the definition of mobile phone usage rules falls under the jurisdiction of schools, as part of their internal regulations, a level of autonomy defended by the School Council last year.
