CBSE issued Guidelines for Safe and Effective Use of Internet and Digital Technologies to its affiliated schools

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) circulated guidelines to the schools affiliated to it asking them to keep tabs on Internet studying by their students. After receiving the CBSE circular several schools have started training their teachers on how to make the students aware of ill effects of the addiction to online games and ensure that the young learners use the Internet more productively. Teachers are being trained how to guide students in Internet usages, harmful effects of online games.

This can be seen in the view of a recent spate of teen suicide cases across the country because of playing and effects of an online game called Blue Whale, which had left governments, schools and guardians worried.

The CBSE circular suggests that the schools create awareness among the teachers about Internet safety norms, install digital surveillance system, monitor online activities of the students, allow the learners to only access websites appropriate for their age and sensitise the parents about the problem of Internet abuse. CBSE had also asked the schools to install effective firewalls, monitor software mechanisms in all computers on the premises and review the filtering policies in regular intervals. The circular also asks each school to draft a policy on the safe use of electronic devices.

The circular - Guidelines for Safe and Effective Use of Internet and Digital Technologies in Schools and School Buses- had been issued to the 18000-odd schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) across India.

It is learnt that several CBSE affiliated schools after receiving the circular have started taking steps to prevent the students from accessing the Internet without their supervision and request the patents to monitor online activities of their children at home.