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Uganda's School Phone Ban: What Schools Need to Know in 2026
Yes. Uganda's Ministry of Education and Sports bans learners from having mobile phones and other hand-held devices on school premises. The ban dates from a September 2013 ministry order and was reaffirmed in 2024 and again in June 2026, pending a national policy.
The ban is a ministry directive, not an act of parliament. A September 2013 order said no student may possess a mobile phone in school for any reason. In 2024 the ministry confirmed it bars learners from using hand-held devices such as phones and tablets within school premises. Possessing a phone has been treated as a serious offence, and students caught with one have faced suspension.
In March 2022 the government said schools could allow phones, then reversed within a day. In August 2024 Minister Janet Museveni approved school-controlled ICT devices with content filtering, while keeping private phones banned. Weeks later the ministry paused that plan until guidelines are adopted. In June 2026 it said secondary learners may hold smartphones only after a formal policy is in place.
Practice varies. A 2024 report found some schools setting their own rules: Mbale SS lets boys use registered phones at weekends, Gulu SS stores registered devices and hands them out at set times, and Nabisunsa uses gadget rooms for laptops. Trinity College Nabingo keeps a full ban. The 2013 order told schools to install payphones so students could reach parents.
Whatever the rule in Uganda requires, lockable pouches let students keep their own phone, locked, from the first bell to the last, so schools do not collect, store or answer for devices. Before The Internet ships lockable phone pouches and unlocking bases worldwide, including to Uganda, 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
Can students use phones for digital learning?
Not personal phones. The ministry approved school-controlled, filtered devices in principle in 2024 but paused this, and in June 2026 said smartphones need a formal policy first.
What happens if a student is caught with a phone?
Possession has been treated as a serious offence, and students have faced suspension. Schools apply their own disciplinary rules.
How can students contact parents?
The 2013 ministry order told schools to install payphones so students could call parents when needed.
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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