NCERT releases guidelines for safe online learning in times of COVID-19

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a set of guidelines to be followed by students to make sure safe online learning in times of coronavirus. These guidelines are set by NCERT and UNESCO India.

To avoid the cyberbullying of scholars and its effect on academic achievement, psychological state , and quality of life generally , the document released by NCERT advises students on what they ought to and should not do to remain safe online.

"With COVID-19 closing schools across all states, Education Departments have made efforts to make sure continuity of learning through various digital platforms. many learners are turning to online education and with this comes an enormous increase within the use of electronic devices and knowledge and Communication Technologies (ICTs)."

With most of the tutorial institutions choosing online mode of learning, students are at a better risk of cyberbullying. Cyber Bullying not only affect the scholars but also the teachers, because it hampers them from imparting quality education through online platforms.

Some sorts of cyberbullying include posting hurtful comments on updates, pictures, and videos shared by an individual; uploading embarrassing photographs without a person's consent; excluding individuals of various cultural, socio-economic backgrounds from online groups and forums; and stealing someone's account password and sending unwanted/inappropriate messages from that account to harass other individuals.

In the list of 'Do's' released by the NCERT, it suggested following things creating a robust password, read privacy settings of social networking sites, communicate only with known people, practice caution while posting photos and videos on social media sites, and make sure that only authorized personnel access computer systems and labs.

The 'Don'ts' include keeping your password secret, not revealing personal information like age address etc. because it can cause fraud , not posting anything hurtful on social media sites, and not forwarding anything you read on social media without verifying it.

Click here to read the full guidelines released by NCERT