NEW DELHI: Students in higher education institutes across India will soon study reporting and flagging inappropriate content on the social network, laws regarding posting of inappropriate content and reporting of cyber crime as part of their curriculum.
The Union Education Ministry, on the instructions of the Home Ministry, has asked institutes to design “cyber-safe” syllabi at undergraduate and post-graduate levels in all streams including medicine, engineering and management, shows a document accessed by this newspaper.
Indian cyber crime coordination centre of the MHA, in a letter to the Education Ministry in late January, had said there is a need to curb cyber crimes and developing an ecosystem for cyber security in Indian educational institutes.
For this purpose, it had been suggested that a baseline policy with Dos and Don’t on social media be developed for institutes, home ministry’s cyberdost handle and cyber crime portal be publicised. It was also recommended that a common “cyber safe” curriculum be designed with an emphasis on “hands-on training” at UG and PG level in all streams which includes, arts, science, commerce, management, medicine and engineering among others.
There is a need of a multipronged strategy to tackle the unforeseen challenges of cybercrime, as it was felt during an interaction with the representatives from IIT Delhi, Delhi University, IIIT Delhi, University Grants Commission, All India Council of Technical Education, the letter added.
After this, an office memorandum has been sent to the UGC, AICTE and department heads by the education ministry earlier this week which says that the letter by the home ministry be circulated among all universities, colleges and centrally funded technical institutes.
The list of the topics which need to be included in curriculum comprises four units including electronic payments and safeguards, cybercrimes and safety, introduction to a social network, IT act 2000 and its use in cyberspace.
The key topics suggested to be taught to students include safe and proper use of social networks, flagging and reporting of inappropriate topics on social media, laws regarding inappropriate content on social networks, concept and use of cyber hygiene in daily life, reporting of cybercrime and precautions in online transactions among others.