Coimbra, Portugal, June 30, 2025 (Lusa) - Portugal's education minister, Fernando Alexandre, clarified on Monday that the regulation promoting mobile phone-free learning will apply to pupils in the first and second cycles of public and private educational establishments.

“We have already announced, in our electoral programme and the government’s programme, that we intend to introduce the ban.

Last year, we recommended the ban and prepared it for the first and second cycles, regardless of the nature of the institution, i.e. both public and private,” he said.

On the sidelines of the laying of the foundation stone for a new student residence at the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Fernando Alexandre stressed that “the law applies to everyone”, and he will specify at a later date when the measure will come into force.

“We are preparing for the start of the next school year and will very soon provide news and information to schools and society on how we will implement these measures and the deadlines,” he said.

Asked about the review of the compulsory education curriculum, which the previous government carried out before it fell and which the current administration plans to implement in the next academic year, the education minister said that “essential learning outcomes are being assessed” and that news on this will be provided soon.

“They are nearly complete; the team hired to carry out this study experienced a slight delay, but we will soon provide news on this: where there will be changes and where they will be postponed to the next school year,” he said.

CMM/ADB // ADB.

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