The Democratic Trade Union of Teachers (PDSZ) has written to the Hungarian government, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the decree restricting the use of mobile phones in schools.
In a letter to Minister of State for Public Education Zoltán Maruzsa and Minister of the Interior Sándor Pintér, the teaching union also asked for a position on who is financially responsible for the safekeeping of high-value mobile devices.
According to the union, the decree, which requires students’ mobile phones to be collected every morning and returned only at the end of the school day, raises serious constitutional concerns. They have thus listed several concerns regarding the regulation.
The union considers the compulsory collection of students’ personal property, in this case mobile phones, a violation of the right to property. The issue of teachers’ responsibility also raises serious concerns, according to the union, because “the legislation imposes a duty on teachers to
be responsible for the phones collected, which puts them at considerable financial and legal risk.”
Educational autonomy and pedagogical freedom could also be restricted, as “the regulation could directly infringe on the professional autonomy of schools and teachers, as some institutions have long-standing policies in place that adequately regulate the use of mobile phones in schools without collecting them.”
The PDSZ was also particularly concerned about the implementation of the regulation in light of the inherent “political pressure,” which “violates the political neutrality of schools and the autonomy of educational institutions.”
In addition, the union noted that many of the students are legally incapacitated minors. “Their property would be restricted by excluding parents and guardians — without consulting them,” they added.
The union further complained that the regulation has no implementation/prescriptive part, adding that it is unjustified to regulate the use of mobile phones by government decree when such a measure should be a ministry regulation.
