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On an UNPOLICED cybertrail
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Are children using the powerful medium of Internet to rightful ends, ponders AJAY MENON, along with parents and educationists.
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FROM EDUCATION to entertainment, from romance to crime - this is the medium where you are at liberty to see and experience it all. The Internet, as sociologists and even laymen now know has come as close to being an artificial, interactive, universal brain as is possible in human society. It would be belabouring the point to speak of all the challenges posed by an invention such as this. But increasingly, concerns mount especially as the younger generation is now confronted with a world that has finally seemed to drop its boundaries, at least in cyberspace.
So how have schools in Kochi reacted to this enigmatic medium? What do they do to teach their children about this brave new world that by its very structure and operational simplicity is perhaps chillingly more influential than the traditional methods of pedagogy?
"We have started giving our children homework based on the Net. We suggest which web sites should be accessed," says Maya Mohan, Principal, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vaduthala. Children specially seek access to the Net when they need to do projects that involve some research, she adds. "Our children are not allowed to browse the Net at school but are allowed to look at specific sites for their projects. A teacher always stands next to the computer user," says Nirmala Venkateshwaran, Principal, Bhavan's Vidya Mandir, Girinagar.
However, these educationists do share a common concern. "We do not have any control over children outside school. Most children have a computer at home, which they perhaps use without supervision. And quite a few of them visit the browsing centres. At many of these centres, there is absolute freedom for students to do what they want and this poses enormous risks."
Teachers have voiced concern at young students spending hours chatting over the Net, accessing unhealthy sites and obtaining the wrong picture from sites that misrepresent events, personalities and history. Additionally, many students seem to have a completely misguided notion as to what the Internet is all about. It is increasingly being seen by school children as merely a source for entertainment, thus reducing an extraordinarily powerful educational tool to the status of a toy rattle or on occasion, a loaded gun.
Students say they go to the browsing centres "mainly to have fun". Some of these centres also provide food and drink, so it is literally party time for many youngsters and birthday treats are not uncommon at these venues. "Much of our time is spent chatting or downloading ring tones. And of course there are all these games available," says Gouthaman. A handful among the more studious however, do make good use of the Net. "We download application forms, obtain information about tuition centres and access the question papers of previous years, too," adds Thomas.
There are several instances of children experiencing a startling drop in their grades, say teachers. And many a time, this is related to the child spending increased hours surfing the Net. "Parents have an important role to play here. They must ensure that the computer is placed where it is accessible to everyone, so that they know what is going on,'' says Ms. Mohan. Behind closed doors, the child is at liberty to use the Net wantonly and frequently misuses the freedom given, point out others. "These students appear to be studying late into the night or doing their homework but the reality is different.''
"We have added subjects like informatics and biotechnology to the curriculum where the use of the Net is important," says Gerald Jacob, Principal, Toc H Public School, Vyttila. "I want our students to be able to use the Net for all their subjects but they need to be prepared to tackle the medium correctly," he adds. And there, undoubtedly lies the crux of the matter.
But can schools or parents do it all alone? Obviously not, say educationists and parents. "We ask our teachers to access a site before our students are allowed to see it but as you know, we have no control outside the school," says Nirmala Venkateshwaran. And so educationists seek the help of parents in assisting them in the task of educating the child. But many parents admit that, `we ourselves are new, in a sense, to the medium. It requires a real cooperative endeavour to teach the child about the Net.'
Ms. Mohan offers a few suggestions- "Talk to children about the Internet, inform them, educate them. Don't deter students from using the Net but teach them how to use it judiciously, effectively and in an intelligent fashion. Do keep the computer at home in a location where it can be accessed easily by everybody. Keep a watch on where these children are going, that is, to which Internet browsing centre. And lastly, if the child visits an Internet centre very frequently, find out if those trips are really necessary."
Gerald Jacob says, "Parents here seem to be interested in preparing their students only for entrance exams and the pressure and subsequent stress on the students is enormous. I sincerely believe that children should have an all round development and be educated fully in every way." Today, that education necessarily involves a thorough understanding of the wonders and perils of the Internet.
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Metro Plus
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