Raluca Turcan calls for the swift adoption of the bill banning mobile phones in schools and high schools, including during breaks

PNL MP Raluca Turcan is calling for the swift adoption of a bill that would ban mobile phones in schools and high schools, including during breaks. The lawmaker argues that the measure could reduce distractions and improve students’ ability to concentrate, amid Romania’s poor results in the 2025 PISA assessment.

Turcan called on the Education Committee of the Chamber of Deputies to place the bill on its agenda and adopt it swiftly. The initiative, submitted several months ago, has received a positive opinion from the Ministry of Education.

The MP cited the decision announced by Denmark after the publication of the PISA results, as the country intends to limit the use of phones in schools. Denmark scored 478 points in science, 471 in mathematics and 460 in reading, compared with 425, 419 and 413 points, respectively, in Romania.

According to Raluca Turcan, distraction caused by digital devices is associated in Romania with an 18-point deficit, compared with 11 points, the OECD average. She says the ban should not be viewed as a punishment for students or as a measure against technology.

However, the lawmaker warns that phones are only part of the problem and calls for measures to improve teaching, support teachers, streamline school curricula, ensure objective assessment and support vulnerable children. According to data presented by Turcan, only 48% of Romanian students reach the minimum level in mathematics, and 52% in reading.