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Soon, schools to get guidelines for online classes

By : TNN | May 9, 2020, 05.49 AM IST

NEW DELHI: The government plans to issue guidelines to schools for online classes to ensure that students don’t suffer from physical and mental stress due to ‘more than required’ exposure to digital screens while ensuring that learning outcomes are not compromised because of the Covid lockdown.

With uncertainty remaining over resumption of classroom teaching in the immediate future, the HRD ministry earlier this week asked the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to prepare guidelines for online teaching.

According to a senior HRD official, the ministry as well as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and NCERT have received complaints of schools making students sit for hours in front of digital screens for online classes. “In their zeal of doing the maximum during this period, private schools are burdening students with long hours of online classes and assignments. We have received complaints. So a set of guidelines is necessary so that the schools follow the best practices,” he said.

A number of groups at NCERT is now preparing the draft guidelines for online teaching. When contacted, NCERT Director Hrushikesh Senapaty confirmed that the Council had received a letter from the MHRD on the issue.

“Students should not be stressed. How can students sit in front of screen from 10 am to 4 pm? There are schools doing that in the name of online classes.” said Senapaty. He said online guidelines will also be for parents. “Engaging parents is important as the idea is to improve social development of students,” he said.

The guidelines will also include suggestions on monitoring of screen time for children, screen sizes and pen and paper activities. They are likely to be submitted to the HRD ministry next week.

HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal had announced earlier that the syllabus would be reduced in view of the academic disruption.

Senapaty said once the lockdown is lifted, NCERT will take a view as to see how much of tweaking in syllabus is necessary.

“Reduction of syllabus will depend on the loss of academic period due to the lockdown. But this doesn’t mean the learning outcome will be compromised. This will not be like simply doing away with a chapter or two. Experts will sit and work on how much portion of a subject can be reduced so as not to impact learning outcomes,” Senapaty said.

The guidelines are likely to be submitted to MHRD next week. According to MHRD sources some of the guidelines for online education could be for long term application as well as a matter of policy.

Source : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/soon-schools-to-get-guidelines-for-online-classes/articleshowprint/75638836.cms