WELLINGTON: The New Zealand government has been working to lift school achievement in the basics which starts with removing distractions such as the cellphone use in school.

New Zealand will ban cellphone use during the school day for all students so they can focus on their learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford said on Thursday.

Cellphone use has long been a problem in New Zealand classrooms. The 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results released this week found that Kiwi kids ranked fifth in the world for being distracted by digital devices, with around half of students reporting they become distracted in most or every lesson, Xinhua news agency reported.

There is clear evidence that removing distractions like cellphone use has a positive impact on student achievement and wellbeing, Stanford added.

New Zealand schools that have banned cellphone use report better concentration and engagement in class and have seen an improvement in achievement and wellbeing, she said.