The Delhi Government recently announced that they will begin classes on Responsible Use of Social Media for students who are studying in government schools based in the capital. The month-long series of online sessions, which will be conducted for 1,040 schools, is scheduled to begin from November 23. These lessons will be taught in schools that fall under the supervision of the Delhi government, the city's cantonment board and New Delhi Municipal Council.

The lessons are being conducted against the backdrop of increased usage of gadgets and exposure to social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Threat through the unknown and anonymous cyber world is a harsh reality nowadays. Ease of access and unmonitored reach has exposed the children to unscrupulous elements on the net," Deputy Director of Education Mohinder Pal said. "The series on Responsible use of Social Media will create awareness about the various kinds of threats on the internet and also ways to secure oneself from these threats. The children will also be sensitised about the responsible use of social media," he added.

The minister added that the students will also be mentored on how to be digitally smart. According to the Delhi government's plan, a total of 52 sessions will be held online for addressing at least 7.3 lakh students from Classes 9 to 12 in 13 districts (136 clusters) in the capital.

When a nationwide lockdown was announced in March to contain the spread of the Coronavirus infection, all teaching and learning activities had to be moved online to avoid disruption of learning. The National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) had in May sent the detailed guidelines to schools defining the role of teachers as well as parents in promoting the safe, legal, and ethical use of the internet by students.

Allowing only authorised people to access computer labs, banning the use of USBs, blocking pop-ups and keeping a check on the appearance of new and unfamiliar icons on desktop were among the cybersecurity and safety guidelines issued to schools and parents by the NCERT.

With inputs from PTI