Here’s the list of items banned from Hungarian schools starting September 2024

On Thursday, the government published a list of items that will be banned from schools and dorms. These include knives, guns, alcohol, mobile phones, smartwatches, and energy drinks. Teachers will collect these items every morning for the duration of the school day.

The amendment to the law underpinning this measure was adopted in June, at the end of the spring session of Parliament. The proposed government decree, aimed at preventing violence in public education institutions and protecting the physical and mental health of pupils, has caused serious outrage due to its authoritarian tone, according to HVG. The decree will come into force on 1 September 2024.

The law passed in June gives the government the mandate to define prohibited items that cannot be brought into schools and those that can only be used with the headmaster’s permission. It was already clear in June that this would significantly restrict the use of mobile phones in schools, allowing their use only for educational purposes under teacher supervision.

Gas sprays, energy drinks and phones banned from Hungarian schools

The list of prohibited items, precisely defined in the draft, includes items dangerous to public safety, those punishable under the penal code, and those that cannot be purchased by persons under 18. From autumn onwards, prohibited items will include knives or cutting instruments with a blade of 8 cm, bows, spear guns, slingshots, gas sprays, alcohol, tobacco products, energy drinks, and drugs.

The other, less severe category is “restricted” objects, which include telecommunication devices such as mobile phones, devices for image or sound recording, and smart devices for internet access. This category encompasses mobile phones, laptops, digital or analogue cameras, voice recorders, smartwatches, and e-book readers.