Online classes: panels to check for compliance with norms

DMS focuses on safety aspects, insists on following protocols

Keeping tabs: Education officials have been asked to speak to schools about using end-to-end encrypted safe platforms for holding online classes.

The Director of Matriculation Schools has asked Chief Educational Officers to ensure compliance with the guidelines issued for conducting online classes in Tamil Nadu, and has identified safety protocols to be followed by schools.

At the district level, monitoring committees, headed by the CEO, with district educational officials, two headmasters from private and government schools as well as a police official would be formed to monitor and supervise whether the guidelines and directions for conducting online classes were being complied with. This committee would meet once a month.

In a circular, A. Karuppasamy, Director of Matriculation Schools, said Education Department officials have been asked to speak to schools about using end-to-end encrypted safe platforms for the classes.

Details of students participating in the classes, which include their name, e-mail ID and device ID that would appear on the screen when they attend the classes should be given to the teachers in advance. “Teachers will check these details once every four weeks to ensure that the student is participating under the ID that they have submitted,. They will also have to speak to the students about refraining from cyber bullying or posting obscene content and that action will be taken, if they do so,” the circular said.

During the class, if any obscene or unwanted content appears, teachers, parents or students have been asked to take a screenshot of the same and file an online complaint with the cyber crime division, after informing their school heads.

When they file a complaint, the first line should have ‘School-Online Classes-Violation of IT Act’ so that the police can identify and act on these complaints on a high-priority basis.

The guidelines issued by the State government had specified that for students of Classes I to VIII8, online classes should be conducted can be undertaken for not more than two sessions a day and for students of Classes IX to XII9 to 12, not more than four sessions per day should be held can be undertaken.

Mr. Karuppasamy said that the time limit for these classes should be strictly adhered to by all classes and that action would be taken against erring schools.

Furthermore, schools have been asked to identify problems that the parents and students from their institutions face with regard to connectivity or availability of devices.