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Ecuador's School Phone Ban: What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Yes. Since 2025, Ministerial Agreement 2025-00015-A bans phones in classrooms in initial and basic education, up to 10th grade (décimo de básica). Bachillerato students may use them only for supervised teaching activities.
Ministerial Agreement 2025-00015-A, issued on 15 April 2025, bans phones in class for initial and basic education, up to décimo de básica. In bachillerato, students may use phones only for academic purposes with the teacher's direct authorisation and supervision. Schools cannot require phones as school supplies. Reports mention exceptions for medical needs and family safety.
The rule applied from 5 May 2025 in the Costa and Galápagos regime and from September 2025 in the Sierra and Amazonía regime. In April 2026 social media claimed the restriction had been dropped. On 23 and 24 April 2026 the Ministry of Education said the rule remains in force and that a new agreement on socio-educational and disciplinary measures strengthened, not removed, it.
The ministry describes its approach as pedagogical and protective. The new disciplinary agreement aims to speed up how schools handle conflicts, bullying and violence, with cases referred faster to district resolution boards. National sources do not set a storage method, so each school decides how phones are kept during the day.
Whatever the Ministry of Education requires, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so escuelas and colegios do not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable phone pouches and unlocking bases worldwide, including to Ecuador, and can print the school's name or crest on them. Schools buy them outright: one price, no subscription, lease or per-student annual licence. Send us your student numbers and any written quote you already have, and we will beat it.
Frequently asked questions
Was Ecuador's school phone ban cancelled in 2026?
No. In April 2026 the Ministry of Education confirmed the rule remains in force and said new disciplinary rules strengthened it.
Can bachillerato students use phones?
Only for academic purposes with a teacher's direct authorisation and supervision.
When did the ban start?
It was issued on 15 April 2025, applying from May 2025 in Costa and Galápagos and from September 2025 in Sierra and Amazonía.
Related reading
School phone bans by country · Phone-free schools toolkit · How to roll out phone pouches in a school
Written by the team at Before The Internet, a Toronto-based phone-free company that rents lockable phone pouches for events across North America and sells them to schools and venues worldwide, shipping purchases to any country.
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