Online classes troubling student's eyes, government to suggest solution

Complains of eye problems due to increasing online classes are being received by the government.  

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, schools across the country are conducting online classes to curb academic losses. However, with multiple cases of students complaining of eye problems due to the online classes, the government of Karnataka has woken up to the education panel's report on online classes that were submitted in July. On Wednesday, i.e. October 22, 2020, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar directed the Commissioner of Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to immediately issue detailed circular listing measures that can be taken to curtail the problem and formulate guidelines. According to the media reports, the letter by the Minister stated, “It is being reported in the media that students have been facing eye-related problems as a result of online classes being held across the State. Hence, it is directed to issue a detailed circular on modalities of conducting online classes based on the expert committee report.”

According to the report, schools are directed to conduct each live online session for a maximum of 30 minutes until grade 5 and 30-45 minutes until grade 10.

Expert guidelines for online classes

• Pre-primary classes (3-6 years) can have one session daily for three days in a week
• Grades 1-2 two sessions per day thrice a week
• Grades 3-5 two sessions daily five days a week
• Grades 6-8 three sessions daily for five days a week
• Grades 9-10 four classes daily five days a week
• The classes have to be interactive

The experts also stated that for pre-primary to grade 2, the content mix needs to be play, stories, rhymes, and other innovative activities and in grades 3-5, the content must be 25% curricular and rest co-curricular. However, in grades 6-8, equal weightage should be given to both curricular and extracurricular and in 9-10, there should be 75% curricular and 25% co-curricular.

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