Plea In Jharkhand HC To Regulate Online Classes, Teaching Hours, Tuition Fee, Etc. [Read Petition]

The plea filed by one Swetha Pal, who holds a PGDM in Child Psychology, has contended that long duration of online classes may have ill-effects on the mental health of children, especially those below the age of six years, as also advised by the National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS).

"Long duration of online classes are not good for the children as it restrict their movement, running, fighting, playing which affect their development of intellectual and physical development through play and structured activities," the plea states.

Inter alia, the plea filed through Advocate Shadab Ansari, highlights various issues surrounding online classes including lack of access to internet and digital infrastructure, unreliable electricity services, arbitrary charging of tution fee by schools, inability of students with disability to access online classes, etc.

In this backdrop, the plea seeks that the State Government be directed to:

• issue circular/Notification/order to regulate timing of online classes based on Guidelines issued by Ministry of Human Resource Development and considering the adverse effect on children due to long duration of online classes;
• ban online streaming classes from Pre-Primary till 5^th grade (Under age 10 years) from immediate effect, considering the NIMHANS Director advice and adverse effect on mental health on smaller kids;
• issue appropriate Circular/Notification/order that attendance in online classes shall be optional and not mandatory;
• issue circular/Notification/order for schools to allow those students to appear in exam who could not attend online classes & could not pay fee due to any disabilities due to Covid-19 Lockdown;
• issue appropriate circular/Notification/order to provide uniform maximum relief in school tuition Fees as far as practicable for the period when physical classes were not held;
• issue appropriate circular/Notification/order to Rationalize and regulate the arbitrary and unreasonable tuition fee charged by some schools for online classes, as limited resource is used in conducting online classes.

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