NEW DELHI: Falling prey to fake information always gets one into trouble. Due to the circulation of fake information, a student lost Rs 10,000 and a girl almost missed her board exams. Digital literacy has become the need of the hour, which is going to be the key focus area for Digital Media and Information Literacy (DMIL) — a pilot programe to orient students and teachers with digital competencies.
A stakeholder meeting was organised at the India Habitat Centre on Friday by Ideosync Media Combine, an NGO which has tied up with the government’s education department for the programme. DMIL is based on the philosophy that competencies required in the digital age must be included in curriculums to enable students to build on concepts essential in the 21st century.
In the pilot phase, the programme is being implemented in ten government schools, having ten interactive workshop sessions of two hours each by trained media educators. Rita Sharma, additional DE, Directorate of Education (DoE), said that digital literacy is necessary to familiarise students with the online space. “The digital world offers scope for exploration,” said Sharma.
Shreya Kumari, a 10th standard student of Schools of Specialized Excellence (SOSE), Sector 23, Rohini, said that this programme will help in getting rid of smartphones. “Fact-checking, which is a major component of digital media, is crucial so that students don’t fall for any information they see on the net,” she said.
Venu Arora, executive director of the NGO, said “The aim of the program is to teach students about critical thinking skills.” A total of 16 students from various government schools attended the event.