In this age of rudderless drift towards liberalism fuelled by mobile phones and social media apps, educators need to confront new threats posed by the internet and dangerous apps, writes Lawrence Fray

During the past two decades, progressive schools have successfully moved from the treadmill of lecture-based instruction to more personalised forms of learning where students construct knowledge, develop skills and, through efficient formative assessment, participate in directing their own learning. Their teachers have progressed from being ‘sages on stages’ to ‘guides by the side’.

However, there is no shortage of people — including educators — who view the educational pathway as a well-defined functional process where the most praiseworthy hallmark of a successful school is delivery of high board examination scores leading to a seat in a renowned university which, in turn, leads to a high-flying career. Hence, excessive summative testing and intensive and (sometimes detrimental) tutoring and high university admission cut-offs buttress a pedagogy that leaves little space for orderly personal development.

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If asked to state a school’s most important function, most honest responders will cite percentages and grades adding that a school’s prestige and profitability, student career goals and parental satisfaction depend on academic results.

But without diminishing the importance of traditional pedagogy and the examination grade sheet, it is high time that all stakeholders in education accord equally high importance to mindfulness, and safeguarding students’ physical and mental safety.

Clearly, schools need to provide safe and secure learning environments where students have opportunities to attain academic excellence and acquire the skills and judgement to become valuable members of society. While school boards, management, teachers and staff accept this, accountability often ends at the school perimeter, exit gate or bus stop.

In this age of rudderless drift towards individualism and liberalism fuelled by mobile phones and social media apps, educators must acknowledge the need to deal with new threats posed by the ubiquity of the internet and rise of dating and gambling apps. Algorithms of these apps track specific usage and target personal weaknesses and pressure points of all who download and use them. Children and youth can be easily led from seemingly innocuous web surfing into darker spaces where they could lose themselves. Are we doing enough to advise and protect them against these dangers?

While one hopes for leadership at government level, it is never easy to police the internet, and people who wish to access dubious websites will find ways to do so. Also, the protocols prescribed by app designers ultimately depend on users’ honesty, and safety features can be easily bypassed. Warnings about falsifying names, address and age are merely safeguards to cover the website owners in the eventuality of legal action.

It would be courageous but foolhardy for school managers to deal with these issues in scheduled life skill classes or assemblies as they cover topics that many parents will find sensitive and even toxic. No school wants a trail of parental complaints laid at its door. A better option is to render safety advice to parents in scheduled meetings, first without children present and then with parents and students together. They should be addressed by guest speakers trained to deal with difficulties associated with the temptation of internet apps and other technological snares.
Schools in several countries and cultures have tested strategies to address this issue. Most accept that parents and teachers cannot police children round the clock. Therefore, student counseling is generally accepted as the way forward to manage dangers presented by dating apps, prevent inappropriate interaction between girls and boys, gambling supplemented with advice about the value of money and the effort required to earn it.

Creating the environment for constructive discussion requires care. Three basic principles are:
• That school counselors acquire a reasonable degree of familiarity with dangerous websites and apps through application and research.
• That educators should avoid mentioning any site by name and avoid condemnatory or judgemental statements during discussions.
• That counselors must inspire confidence that they are a secure point of contact and will not disclose information provided to them.

It is now clear that post-Covid classrooms will be a blended combination of in-person classes and distance learning. Implementing blended learning presents its own difficulties. But as teachers, we must recognise that holistic teaching and learning goes beyond academics, co-curricular activities and enrichment, and should encompass safeguarding the young against technological exploitation.

Teachers and parents need to equip children with the skills to be mindful of harmful influences and the temptations of the internet. We must protect our children’s integrity and interests rather than fudge the issue.

(Lawrence Fray is a Gurugram-based education consultant and partner of Polygon Educational Services)

Also Read: Urgent higher education liberalisation necessity

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