Mumbai
The duration for online classes for pre-primary students should not be more than 30 minutes, while children in classes between 1 and 8 must be imparted two sessions of up to 45 minutes each, according to the guidelines on digital education released by the Centre on Tuesday.
Named "Pragyata", the HRD Ministry recommended four sessions of 30-45 minutes duration for classes 9 to 12. The norms have been issued to prevent academic loss of over 240 million school kids stuck at home due to the coronavirus crisis.
As per the Pragyata guidelines, screen time is a crucial factor for the overall development of students. They say class-wise instant messaging groups should be formed for smooth communication between teachers, parents and students of higher classes. The guidelines stress the need for students to take breaks between classes and engage in offline activities.
Meanwhile, the Centre has asked states to ensure names of kids of migrants who returned home are not struck off their school rolls. The HRD Ministry also suggested states may direct all schools to give admission to kids without asking for any other documents, except for ID proof.
