HRD caps duration of online classes to cut screen time

Box

Setting the limit

Pre-primary: Classes shouldn’t exceed 30 minutes on scheduled days

Class I-VIII: Maximum two sessions of 30-45 minutes each per day

Class IX-XII: Maximum four sessions of 30-45 minutes each per day

Teachers: Two to three hours of online activity per day

(figure point) 240 million children enrolled in schools across India

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 14

Issuing guidelines for digital education, the Centre today capped screen time for students and teachers across categories. The decision will impact over 240 million children enrolled in schools that remain closed due to Covid19 pandemic.

The school heads, as per the guidelines, should not expect teachers to be engaged in six to eight hours of online teaching in a day and should only look at two to three hours of online activities per day. Allow 10-15 minutes break between two consecutive classes for students to relax, guidelines say.

Titled “PRAGYATA”, the HRD Ministry directions propose cap on the duration and number of online sessions a day for students from Class I to XII (see box). Broad directions to schools for digital education are to follow eight steps of online learning–plan, review, arrange, guide-talk, assign, track and appreciate.

The ministry also issued guidelines on education of children of migrant workers who had to shift to another place amid the pandemic. It asked the states and UTs not to strike off the names of children and instead show them as “migrated” or “temporarily unavailable”.

It also asked states to direct schools to grant admission to migrated children in native areas without seeking documents other than IDs. The demand for transfer certificates or proof of class attended should not be made, guidelines say. The guidelines are recommendatory, education being a concurrent subject.