While Online schooling is the safest way of education in this pandemic, it’s got an equally worse share of serious disadvantages.
Suicides in relation to non-availability of mobiles for Online schooling is just a sad tip of a developing malaise that has all the potential to have a worse impact than Covid-19 on our children.
Online schooling is taking its toll on our children both physically and mentally with an added deprivation of social skills. If we fail to hear the warning bells and act in time, our children will end up as physically, mentally and socially wrecked elements.
An immediate analysis with an in-depth evaluation of the impacts of Online schooling needs to be undertaken on a professional level by every state and a National Policy framed with a focus on devising healthier methods that minimize the negative impacts on our children.
Our children’s People Skills are being affected due to them being cooped up in homes and resorting to gadgets for studies and communication. Right from the times of Gurukula system we have understood the benefits of learning through direct interaction between teachers and students. Coordination with fellow students, emotional support from teachers and personal interactions form the basis of all-round development of children but sadly our children are deprived of that environment. Hence we should make conscious efforts to provide emotional support and induce children to foster personal relationships at home and with neighbours and friends within the Covid limitations.
Parents and elders at home should make a conscious effort to ensure that interpersonal communication skills are not lost to this generation who are bearing the brunt of Covid induced Online schooling.
Emotional well-being of our children is also at stake since the beginning of Online schooling. Almost every child is suffering from certain levels of mobile addiction. Gadgets have replaced friends and real friends are replaced with digital friends. These are leading to many children getting entrapped in pornography, blackmail etc. While we cannot do away with online studies, we still can ensure reduced time with gadgets by enthusing children to physical play, develop hobbies etc.
Spiritual inculcation, yoga and involvement in social & charitable activities within Covid limitations will help increase their awareness & mental health and keep them away from digital overload.
Cyber security of the platforms used for education should be strictly monitored and upgraded from time to time so that our children are kept safe. There should be a control mechanism in place to monitor the data content, it’s storage and sharing. Presently there’s very limited security and control on the online educational activities which provides scope for malevolent ploys in the dangerous cyber world. Schools, teachers and parents should stress on the need to be cyber safe and advice children to avoid clicking on links, popups, not to respond to unsolicited emails, friend requests etc.