New Delhi: Congress leader and Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor and Tamil Nadu Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko hit out at the online mode classes by private schools by saying that it would affect the mental and physical health of students.
Recently, many parents have alleged that private schools are forcing them to pay school fees through SMS and asking their children to stay available for the online class. Meanwhile, a few states including Karnataka opposed the online classes.
According to senior parliamentarian and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) MP Vaiko, online classes would affect the sight and hearing power of young school children.
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“Health experts have warned that children who are undergoing online classes would suffer from eye pain. As they need to use headphones, they would also get hearing disabilities,” Vaiko said.
Vaiko further pointed out several studies revealing that many households in the rural areas do not have proper internet connection along with the computer, laptop and smartphone facilities.
“A survey done by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) stated that only 4.4% of houses in rural and 23.4% of houses in urban have computers. Talking about internet connections, only 14.9% of houses are connected with internet facility. In urban areas, about 42% of houses are equipped with internet. A study by Smile foundation digs out that 56% of school children are not having any smartphones,” Vaiko claimed.
The Rajya Sabha MP demanded the Human Resource Development Ministry's intervention into the matter to stop the imbroglio.
“Students across the nation do not have equal access to online classes. A student in Kerala had committed suicide as she had no facility for the online class. It is to be noted that Karanataka has banned such classes until 5th standards. The Union Government may opt for dedicated education channels to run classes. It can also advise the private TV channels to allocate slots for conducting classes through Televisions,” he urged the centre.
Delhi-based Educationalist Anupam Singh believes that online classes are not the right substitute for teaching in class through physical mode.
“I do not think that online classes are a substitute for physical teachings. Though it is applicable for IT and ITES, it cannot be suitable for primary education. Many students do not have proper internet and technical facility to attend the classes through online mode, so it should not be encouraged,” Singh said in a conversation with ETV Bharat.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has constantly opposed both the online and the TV mode of handling classes for school kids.
“School children are asked to study online or by the TV when many do not have basic facilities to do so. I urged Kerala Chief Minister to relax both sets of requirements during this deadly COVID-19 pandemic period. Postponing exams and reducing the burden on school kids is essential even if it means truncating the following academic year,” Tharoor said in a tweet.
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