UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — ‘Over half of countries ban mobile phone in schools’

Q1. With reference to UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report tracking of national-level school mobile phone bans, consider the following countries reported to have introduced such national bans since late 2025: 1. Bolivia 2. Costa Rica 3. Croatia 4. Indonesia Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Bolivia
  2. Costa Rica
  3. Croatia
  4. Indonesia
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q2. The figure of '114 education systems with a national ban on mobile phones in schools' (≈58% of countries) cited in March 2026 is sourced from which one of the following flagship reports?

  • A. UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report
  • B. UNICEF's State of the World's Children Report
  • C. OECD's Education at a Glance
  • D. World Bank's Human Capital Index Report

Q3. With reference to the proportion of countries with national school mobile phone bans by the end of 2024 as reported by UNESCO's GEM Report, consider the following statements: 1. Central and South Asia recorded the highest regional adoption, at about 85%. 2. Every country in Europe and North America had introduced a national ban. 3. Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the lowest adoption among the three regions reported, at about 28%. 4. Sub-Saharan Africa was reported as the region with the universally highest adoption rate. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Central and South Asia recorded the highest regional adoption, at about 85%.
  2. Every country in Europe and North America had introduced a national ban.
  3. Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the lowest adoption among the three regions reported, at about 28%.
  4. Sub-Saharan Africa was reported as the region with the universally highest adoption rate.
  • A. 2 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4 only

Q4. The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, which tracks the spread of national school mobile phone bans worldwide, is hosted and published by which one of the following United Nations agencies?

  • A. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
  • B. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
  • C. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • D. International Labour Organization (ILO)

Q5. According to UNESCO's GEM Report data for end-2024, which one of the following regions recorded the highest share of countries with a national-level mobile phone ban in schools?

  • A. Europe and North America
  • B. Latin America and the Caribbean
  • C. Central and South Asia
  • D. Sub-Saharan Africa