Tamil Nadu School Education Department issues guidelines for online classes

Keeping students' health and safety in mind, the Tamil Nadu School Education Department on July 30 issued detailed guidelines for online education in the state.

According to the new guidelines, the education department has restricted the duration of online classes between 30 to 45 minutes with a mandatory break of 10 to 15 minutes between the sessions so that students can give their eyes some rest. 

The guidelines inform that for students in Classes IX to XII, online classes may be undertaken for not more than four sessions of 30 to 45 minutes a day. Further, only two sessions a day are allowed for students in Classes I to VIII.

READ: 'Access To Quality Education': Vice President Naidu Hails National Education Policy 2020

According to the order, online classes for pre-primary classes are not be scheduled, however, virtual 30 minutes sessions may be scheduled for interaction with parents.

The new guidelines noted that children's prolong exposure to gadgets could lead to severe health issues. The department said that excessive use of gadgets can be avoided by designing an age-appropriate schedule of digital education. 

The guidelines directed, “One can walk around for a few minutes during each break. Teachers and adults should keep a watch on the students’ behaviour, especially for symptoms like depression, anxiety, stress”. 

READ: IIT Madras' Course For Differently-abled Students Airs On State-run Swayam Prabha Channel

Provision for teachers 

The new order also mandates provisions for teachers. As per the guidelines, the teachers have to set aside five minutes in each session for warm-up, creative activities, and exercise. The order also states that parents must ensure adult supervision before providing gadgets like smartphones and laptops with data connectivity to their wards.

Further, the education department also fixed the maximum number of classes for the teachers to avoid stress. The order mentioned that a teacher may take a maximum of six classes a day to a maximum of 28 classes a week. The classes will be conducted from 9am to 5pm on working days and all other communication regarding assignments will be restricted to between 8am to 6pm. 

(With PTI inputs) 

READ: Gujarat HC Rejects State Govt's Resolution Asking Private Schools To Not Collect Fees

READ: Punjab Govt Allows Provisional Admission Of 'open School' Students In Class 11