Taking serious note of grave crimes arising from social media involving students, the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE) proposes to educate students and their parents across the State how to stay clear off the dangers lurking in the cyberworld.
The directorate proposes to introduce a three-hour session on cybercrime and security, child rights, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act from next academic year.
Coordinators of all 1,350 Souhrida Clubs functioning in higher secondary schools across the State are being trained as master trainers for organising the session.
Two-day training
The two-day training of these coordinators by the cybercell experts from the Police Department will be complete with the final session scheduled at Wayanad on February 14.
The clubs were set up in 2012 for adolescent counselling and healthcare under the directorate’s Career Guidance and Adolescent Counselling Cell.
“These master trainers will return to their respective schools and organise sessions for students and their parents and teachers. Course materials prepared by the State Council Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Kerala, and experts from Cyberpolice besides the handbook prepared by the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights will be used for the awareness sessions,” C.M. Azeem, State coordinator, Career Guidance and Adolescent Counselling Cell, told The Hindu .
The programme would have been introduced during this academic year itself if not for the serious disruptions caused by the floods last year. Hence, it has now been decided to complete the training of master trainers during this academic year and postpone the actual sessions for students, teachers and parents to the start of the next academic year.
Mr. Azeem said that many incidents were being reported, especially related to the usage of mobile phones, from schools. “In many cases, ignorance about the law has led to such situations. For instance, some posts are indiscreetly forwarded without having any clue about its consequences,” he said.
