These guidelines by the Union human resource department (HRD) ministry are called ‘Pragyata’ and they recommend that students in class I to VIII should not have more than 2 online classes per day, each lasting around 30-45 minutes. While for classes IX to XII, the HRD ministry has recommended four online classes up to the duration of 45 minutes each, which roughly equates 3 hours of classes per day. The guidelines dictate that kids in pre-primary classes should not spend more than 30 minutes on their online classes.
While the guidelines are not binding, they have certainly come as a ray of hope for distraught parents, who have been at their wit’s end with the unprecedented increase in screen time of their kids and wary of the impact it may have on their eyesight and overall health. As the classes have moved online, common complaints among the kids include headaches and dry and irritated eyes.
The adversary also suggests the educational institutes to complete a proper survey of the availability of smartphone devices/gadgets and access to a stable internet connection for the students, before scheduling online classes.