SCERT also tells them to follow 'One Nation, One Digital Platform' policy and to stick to Diksha App developed by govt
With online learning being the new normal, schools are required to collect personal details from students and parents, to ensure effective reach. But is this information guarded by schools? Parents also want to be sure if the content used by the schools has the required approval from the government.
The information sought by schools generally includes points such as whether all students have electronic devices at home to continue online learning, if yes, which, and accordingly mobile numbers or email addresses for digital learning or even postal addresses in some cases where academic literature has to be sent home.
The State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has issued an order warning schools against sharing students' personal information to outside agencies such as coaching classes. The regulatory body has also asked schools to follow the 'One Nation, One Digital Platform' policy and has instructed them to stick to the Diksha App developed by government for digital learning across different boards.
Complaints received
As teaching and studying are evolving online, regulations too are evolving. A few new points have been noted by the regulatory body and it has issued a new circular. As per the order issued by the SCERT, it had received complaints from different parts of the state regarding schools sharing such information and imposing the use of a certain digital service.
"Some such issues have been pointed out, where details of students and parents collated for digital learning purpose, have been shared with outside agencies by schools. This is a very serious offence and if we receive any such complaints in future, strict action will be taken against the school," stated the order issued by Dinkar Patil, director, SCERT.
The circular further also points out free availability of the Diksha App for digital learning, catering to curriculum of different state and central boards. The circular stated, "This centrally designed app provides free access to digital content for curriculum of all boards. It is important to use SCERT approved digital content for purposes of online learning instead of using privately developede platforms which may not have the required approval."
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