Karnataka extends ban on live virtual classes for students up to Class 7

Education

The decision follows an announcement made on Wednesday banning live virtual classes for students up to class 5.

TNM Staff

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The Karnataka government on Thursday extended the ban on holding live online classes for students up to class 7 in the state.  A state cabinet meeting attended by state Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa took the decision to disallow live online classes for all primary school students up to class 7 including students studying in playschool and kindergarten.  The decision follows an announcement made on Wednesday banning live virtual classes for students up to class 5. The collection of fees for such classes has also been prohibited while pre-recorded classes will continue until a committee formed by the state education department issues guidelines for the regulation of 'screen time' for students. Private schools in Karnataka have been conducting  live virtual classes for students from Classes 4 to 7 and even for lower grades. Such classes will now be halted. "We don't know when schools will reopen but the ban on online education has been extended up to class 7. The board examinations to be held in the state will continue as per schedule," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy said on the sidelines of the meeting chaired by Yediyurappa.  While Madhuswamy highlighted the struggles faced by students in rural areas, the decision by the state government was also prompted by an outcry from parents over the lack of regulations in live classes that were held online. Parents complained that some classes extended for hours.  Pre-recorded modules along the lines of the classes conducted by the state education department on DD Chandana will continue in the state. An expert committee will decide the guidelines for such classes.  Earlier, experts from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) had recommended that children under six years of age should not be exposed to a screen time of more than one hour. 

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