Plan to ban mobile phones in schools

The newly formed coalition government in New Zealand plans to ban mobile phones in schools under its first 100-day action plan.

Christopher Luxon, who took over as Prime Minister on Monday, announced the government’s 100-day action plan, covering 49 actions. Among the measures that the Government will adopt in the educational field are the prohibition of the use of mobile phones in schools and the obligation of one hour a day of reading, writing and mathematics.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Luxon noted that the first law planned to be enacted under the action plan will limit the authority of the Central Bank to focus solely on keeping inflation under control.

Luxon also announced that it will cancel the law that prevented those born after 2008 from buying cigarettes for life, which was approved by Parliament in 2022 and was scheduled to be implemented in 2024.

Under the law, whose repeal was announced, it was also planned to impose a sales ban on 90 percent of existing cigarette sellers and reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes.

The first 100-day action plan includes doubling renewable energy production. (AA)