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Egypt's School Phone Ban: What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Yes. Egypt bans students from using mobile phones during lessons and school activities in all pre-university schools, under the discipline rules in Ministerial Resolution No. 187 of 2023. A ministerial circular in February 2024 ordered strict enforcement nationwide.
The rule sits in Ministerial Resolution No. 187 of 2023, which sets the discipline regulations for pre-university schools. Using a mobile phone during the educational process is listed as a violation under Article 21. On 20 February 2024, Minister Reda Hegazy issued Circular No. 8 telling all schools and directorates to enforce it firmly. It covers all pre-university students. Published reports do not list formal exemptions.
Egypt has restricted phones in schools for years. For 2021/22 the ministry barred phones for students and teachers during the school day as part of its Covid-19 measures. The 2023 discipline regulations then made phone use a formal violation, and the 2024 circular told schools to apply it. In January 2026 parliament began work on rules limiting children's social media use, and in February 2026 the Minister of State for Information called for a school phone ban as part of that debate.
Enforcement is left to school leaders and education directorates, which the 2024 circular told to apply the rules precisely and firmly, with oversight bodies checking compliance. Published reports do not set out a single national method for storing phones, so practice varies between schools. Sanctions follow the 2023 school discipline regulations rather than a separate phone penalty.
Whatever the rule in Egypt requires, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so Egyptian schools do not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable phone pouches and unlocking bases worldwide, including to Egypt, 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
Is Egypt's school phone ban a law or a ministry rule?
It is a ministry rule. The ban comes from Ministerial Resolution No. 187 of 2023 on school discipline, reinforced by Circular No. 8 of 20 February 2024, not from an act of parliament.
Does the ban cover breaks as well as lessons?
The 2024 circular refers to phone use during the educational process, meaning lessons and school activities. Published reports do not spell out rules for breaks, so check your directorate's instructions.
Is new legislation on children and phones coming?
Possibly. In 2026 parliament was drafting rules on children's social media use, and the Minister of State for Information urged a school phone ban. As of early 2026 the details were still under discussion.
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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