Telangana To Come Out With A Policy On Online Classes By July 13

Source: Hindustan Times

The Telangana government on Friday said that a new policy on the reopening of schools and commencement of online classes is in process and might be out by July 13.

The government submitted after the bench asked it to come out with a clear stand on whether it has framed any policy on imparting education online.

The government directed the petitioner to implead and make the Union government, CBSE, and other parties part so that their opinion could be known. The state government informed the court that it would come out with a concrete policy regarding the commencement of the academic year, and also on the online classes for both government and private educational institutions in the state.

The PIL had sought to declare the conducting of online classes by the private schools as illegal and ban them.

Read: Online Classes Raises Digital Divide

The state government informed the court that the Centre has issued guidelines not to commence the academic year till July 31 but in the same directive, the Centre had said that online and distance mode of education is permitted and it should be encouraged.

However, the Telangana government said it has not taken any policy decision in favor of or against the online classes for both private and government-run educational institutions.

Parents are unhappy as many of them could not afford gadgets required for attending online classes which makes the decision discriminatory.

In that context, the court observed, You cannot frame guidelines sitting in AC rooms in Delhi. You have to come to remote places like Adilabad and see the plight of the people as there are so many deprived children.” “How can you encourage online education in those circumstances,” the court asked.

The court posted the matter to July 13 for further hearing.