BENGALURU: Children below the age of six years should not be exposed to online schooling, according to Dr B N Gangadhar, Director of National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).
The Department of Primary Education in Karnataka has consulted Dr Gangadhar for their expert opinion on whether online classes can be held for children below six, which is of widespread concern among parents in the face of closure of schools due to the pandemic.
“The World Health Organisation (WHO) has suggested that one hour per day of screen time for children below six years can be permitted. I feel that children of this age group are not sent to school only for learning. They learn many other things in their formative years such as social and emotional skills among other life skills in early schooling. The additional benefits of this type of schooling will not be available in online classes,” the NIMHANS Director told The New Indian Express.
He said that parents and family members can teach for one hour daily at home. “The literacy levels in the country are high and if the parents don’t have required skills to teach this age group at home then the government should hold some online training to help them with the skills,” said Dr Gangadhar. He also pointed out that teachers may not have been formally trained to hold online classes for this age group.