S. Suresh Kumar, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, said the State government would take a final call on holding online classes for the children pursuing primary education on Wednesday.
“In the wake of apprehensions expressed from various quarters that online classes would exert unnecessary pressure on children, the State government had sought the opinion of experts at The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) on the issue. On Monday, the meeting held with the officials of the Department of Public Instruction to discuss the issue remained inconclusive. On Wednesday, after holding consultations with psychiatrists, academicians, officials, parents and representatives of educational institutions, the State government will take a final call on the issue,” he told presspersons here on Tuesday.
Mr. Kumar said he had received feedback from academicians and psychiatrists that online classes would cause unnecessary burden on children at the primary level. The learning should not take place in a stressful or unfamiliar environment, he said. Earlier in the day, he held a meeting with officials of Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Uttara Kannada districts to review the preparation for the SSLC examination.
He told the meeting that, in Malnad region, that receives heavy rain, arrangements should be made for students from remote villages appearing for SSLC examination to stay at a government hostel near the examination centre to avoid inconvenience related to travelling. Local authorities can take a call on arranging food for students who come from far away places after assessing the situation, he said, and added that the food should not be served near the examination hall. As wearing masks has been made mandatory while writing the exam, while issuing hall tickets, the teachers have been directed to apprise students of the importance of wearing masks and to provide demonstrations on the proper way of wearing it, he said.
Araga Jnanendra, Tirthahalli MLA, and K.B. Sivakumar, Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner attended the meeting.
