Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education Selects 300 Phone-Free Schools This Year

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education announced on July 27 that it plans to select 300 "Phone-Free School" pilot schools in three phases this year.

The Phone-Free School initiative is a student growth-centered policy designed to restrict the use of mobile phones for non-educational purposes during school hours and replace that time with "RAS Gyeonggi Arts, Culture, and Physical Education," which focuses on reading, arts, and sports.

Phone-Free Schools are operated voluntarily, centered around student councils.

The education office explained that instead of schools unilaterally confiscating phones or imposing rigid rules, student councils examine the current state and problems of smartphone use in school life on their own and establish practical agreements together with other school members.


Schools will directly plan and operate programs tailored to their circumstances, such as phone-free declaration ceremonies and student campaigns, phone-free activities during breaks and lunchtime, practice challenges with friends, establishment of school-specific smartphone usage rules, and production of student promotional videos.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education plans to select the first batch of 100 schools starting from the 28th until August 14.

Subsequently, the second recruitment period will run from September 1 to 14, and the third from September 28 to October 9.

The provincial education office aims to discover and share best practices, expand voluntary participation by student councils and the educational community, and spread a Gyeonggi-style phone-free school culture.

(Photo provided by Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.