The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development announced the guidelines for online classes by schools and recommended a cap on duration of three hours per day for students. The guidelines have been framed by the ministry, following concerns raised by parents about schools conducting online classes like regular schools, which has increased children’s screen time.

In the guideline called “Pragyata”, the MHRD recommended that the duration for online classes for pre-primary students should not be for more than 30 minutes. For classes 1 to 8, two online classes of up to 45 minutes each and  for classes to 9 to 12, four sessions of 30-45 minutes duration have been recommended.

The ministry also cautioned against overburdening teachers. The guidelines stated, “School heads should not expect teachers to be engaged in six to eight hours of online teaching in a day. Rather they may be engaged for about two to three hours of online activities per day for the classes they teach.”

The states have also been advised to schedule live classes only on weekdays and weekend should be “utilised for the assimilation of learning on part of students and parents and planning on part of teachers, and unwinding themselves for the coming week” adding that teachers and students should not be deprived of vacation during the lockdown.

The guidelines also mentioned, “States/UTs are required to come out with their own detailed guidelines by adapting/ adopting/modifying these guidelines in accordance with their requirements and assessment of the local situation.”

The suggestion on maximum screen time was discussed after a meeting was held by the school education secretary Anita Karwal along with the state governments on June 8.

The MHRD also asked schools to plan classes after conducting a proper survey of students’ access to digital devices and internet connection.

Source: The Indian Express and PTI

Also read: Delhi High Court: Private schools can exclude students from online classes for fees non-payment