The Government of Karnataka, on Wednesday, announced that virtual online classes have been banned for students up to Class 5. Hence, schools from now on will not be allowed to conduct online classes for students in lower kindergarten, higher kindergarten, and primary classes ie. from Class 1 to 5. Education Minister Suresh Kumar made the announcement today.
The topic of online classes
Ever since schools were shut due to the COVID-19 crisis, online classes have become the norm for education in the country. However, there have been several complaints regarding the medium.
While the major complaint was that online classes come with a wrong assumption of everyone having access to a computer with a stable internet connection, the other debate has been regarding whether children can be exposed to longer periods of screen-time.
In line with these topics, the government, on Wednesday, held a meeting with those working in education, psychiatrists, and other experts to discuss the issue.
The outcome of the meeting
State Education Minister Suresh Kumar announced that virtual online classes will not be allowed for up to class 5. However, he said that pre-recorded classes could be allowed. Suresh Kumar further added that schools will now not be permitted to charge fees for the online classes.
Regarding the basis for the announcement, the Minister said: “The screen time for certain classes and what will be appropriate will be discussed later. For now, we have made this decision for LKG, UKG, and primary classes, considering their age and mental well-being.”
Source: The News Minute
