CHENNAI: The central government on Monday informed the Madras High Court that by July 15, guidelines will be framed for online classes conducted by private schools in view of the lockdown. The court was hearing a plea of a parent who had sought guidelines for online classes.
Additional Solicitor General Sankara Narayanan submitted before the division bench comprising justices M M Sundresh and R Hemalatha that detailed guidelines and rules for online classes are being drafted by the central government.
After several petitioners had filed similar pleas at the high court, the judges clubbed all the petitions and adjourned it for further hearing to July 20.
According to the petitioner, Indian digital education has several fundamental flaws and serious lapses whereby users are unable to go online as only 8% of homes have a computer with a net link. Prolonged exposure to such classes in computers will also damage the retina, said the petitioner.
Parents are forced to expose the children to smartphones and other similar gadgets with uninterrupted internet connectivity. The exposure of young minds to smartphones and internet connectivity is hazardous to their physical health and mental development, submitted the petitioner.
The petitioner also said students were all hooked to online classes due to the lockdown and certain guidelines for online classes should be framed to prevent them landing at unknown sites.