Government school students in National Capital to get lessons on responsible use of social media

The month-long series of online sessions, which will be conducted for 1,040 schools, is scheduled to begin from November 23. 

Over seven lakh students studying under the Delhi government, the city’s cantonment board, and NDMC will soon be getting lessons on the responsible use of social media. In these classes, the students will be taught not only about how much information they should share online but also how to deal with cyber threats.

The month-long series of online sessions, which will be conducted for 1,040 schools, is scheduled to begin from November 23. The lessons are being organised considering the increased usage of gadgets and exposure to social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Threat through the unknown and anonymous cyber world is a harsh reality nowadays. Ease of access and unmonitored reach has exposed the children to unscrupulous elements on the net,” Deputy Director of Education Mohinder Pal said.

“The series on ‘Responsible use of Social Media’ will create awareness about the various kinds of threats on the internet and also ways to secure oneself from these threats. The children will also be sensitised about responsible use of social media,” he said. Pal said students will also be mentored on how to be digitally smart.

As per the plan, a total of 52 sessions will be held online for addressing 7.3 lakh students from classes 9 to 12 of 13 districts (136 clusters) in Delhi.

In March, after the announcement of a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the COVID-19, all teaching and learning activities were moved online to avoid any disruption in learning. The National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) had in May sent the detailed guidelines to schools defining the role of teachers as well as parents in promoting the safe, legal, and ethical use of the internet by students.

Allowing only authorised people to access computer labs, banning the use of USBs, blocking pop-ups and keeping a check on the appearance of new and unfamiliar icons on desktop were among the cybersecurity and safety guidelines issued to schools and parents by the NCERT.

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