While Ireland opts for €9m worth of pouches, here’s how other countries solved the problem of phones in schools

Each pouch is expected to cost between €20 and €30 and will be purchased in bulk for all secondary schools in the State.

Students will be expected to place their device inside the pouch in the morning and keep it by their side throughout the day. The pouch can only be opened by a magnetic device at the discretion of a teacher.

While Education Minister Norma Foley has said there is "incontrovertible" evidence secondary school students will prosper educationally from such a ban, opposition parties and teacher groups have hit out at the extravagance of the proposal, rather than the ban itself.

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Ms Foley has stood her ground, insisting the ban and pouches are needed.

In August, the Department of Education announced it was planning to ban mobile phones in secondary schools in response to extensive research which found a link between the devices and distraction, including incidents of cyber bullying.

But is the use of phone pouches effective or is it merely an Irish solution to an Irish problem?

To answer that, the Irish Independent has examined how different countries have approached the issue.

In July of last year, Unesco recommended the banning of smartphones in schools worldwide to curb negative impacts on students' learning.

As such, several countries adopted similar and overlapping proposals to implement the measure.​

One country which has experienced political and social divisions on this issue is Hungary.

Last month, thousands took to the streets of Budapest to protest against the dismissal of a principal who refused to implement a smartphone ban.

The ban was passed by the ­Hungarian parliament this year and came into force at the start of the school term as part of an effort to minimise ­distractions for students.

Enforcement includes handing in the phone at the beginning of the day and it is returned after all classes have ended.​

Italy passed its own version of a ban in July, which commenced at the ­beginning of the academic year.

While the southern European ­country has banned the use of phones in schools since 2007, this latest measure is much broader as it also applies to those in ­senior infants and the first five classes of primary school.

Closer to home, the UK announced measures in February to curb mobile phone usage in schools.

The ban only applies to England, with enforcement including the handing in of phones upon arrival at school and keeping them securely locked away.

However, over the summer, MPs ­discussed a potentially more serious ban that would apply to all students under 16.​

Measures that came into effect last month saw all primary and secondary school students prevented from bringing their phones into school in the first place.

In Greece, students are expected to keep phones in their schoolbag for the entire day.

Smartphones are banned across primary and secondary schools in the French-speaking regions.

Phones have been banned in primary schools since 2018, but this year, the country is expected to widen the ban to 200 secondary schools ahead of a nationwide ban.​

New Zealand The governing National Party implemented a ban at the start of the school term in April, which saw different schools apply different enforcement measures, with most opting for students to hand in their phones before school or leave them in their lockers or bags during the school day.

In the US, several states have implemented bans including Louisiana, Virginia, Minnesota, Ohio and Indiana, with most states expecting children to hand in phones at the beginning of the day.

In March 2015, the state of New York reversed its ban after parents raised concerns about contacting children during the day. Despite indications from public officials, including New York City mayor Eric Adams, plans to implement a ban this year have been shelved.​