Source: New indian express
Child authors from Bengaluru speak about their books written during the lockdown period
BENGALURU: If we asked you to use your imagination and picture an author of four fantasy novels, what would you see? Would it be an ageing man or a woman hunched over a desk?
We often associate accomplished authors with age and experience. But today, young authors are changing the dynamics of the publishing world.
Fifteen-year-old Rakshan Pandian had the intense desire to write during the lockdown in 2020. His debut novel Chronaethion, a high fantasy novel, is for children of 12 years and above. The book is an immersive, adventure fantasy novel that follows a banished prince, princess and their guardians through a time-distorted land, guided by a mysterious boy.
Rakshan, a grade 10 student from Inventure Academy, describes the book as ‘magical literature’. “It was all my imagination and was very spontaneous,” he says when asked about the creative process behind his writing. A fan Brandon Sanderson and William Shakespeare’s work, Rakshan says that his grandfather inspired him to write the book.
Why did he picked fantasy and what were the challenges he faced? “I was able to fully immerse myself in fantasy and use my imagination. The editing process was a little strenuous,” he shares.
Rakshan surprised his family with his creative prowess. His mother Rajeshwari says that she was taken aback at first. “Rakshan is an avid reader,” she says, adding, “But, when it came to writing, we had to force him to write anything more than a sentence right from kindergarten. This (book) came as a surprise to all of us.”
Seven-year-old Jiya Gangadhar, studying at Ekya Schools, JP Nagar, is the author of a children’s book L is for Lockdown – Jiya’s Journal of Lockdown Lessons. It’s a creative non-fiction piece, transcribed from the diary she kept during the pandemic, where she wrote about the experiences and challenges she faced.
“When the lockdown was announced, we started our online classes. I had a lot of time to spare as I was at home; I started to write all my experiences in a diary. When my book was published and I saw it on Amazon, it was the happiest moment for me,” says Jiya.
“We were happy to see a book authored by one of our students. Jiya had imbibed a good habit of writing in her diary and the effort of her mother to recognise her passion for writing is really appreciated,” says Sreepriya Unnikrishnan, principal, Ekya School.
Speaking about young authors, Upamanyu Dhar, a literature enthusiast, says, “India has a pool of very talented authors. It is heartening to see young authors make a name for themselves. The world
needs more books written by young people.”
Source: New indian express
BENGALURU: The education department has allowed online classes to continue for students who are unable to attend offline classes. Schools are working out a way to balance the two. Starting August 23, many private schools are even considering delaying their reopening to September.
Sridhar G, Founder of Deeksha said, whatever is being conducted offline will be repeated online, in a different time slot. “It will be done to ensure that if a child is unable to attend due to any reason, or if the parents feel that they don’t want to risk their child going out to college, they can attend the online classes.”
“The education department is prepared to reopen Classes 9 and 10 and second physical classes for PU I and II,” Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh said. Ayesha Sirajuddin, Head of South Campuses, Ekya Schools said, students have to attend the offline classes from the campus for 2 days a week and the remaining classes will be conducted online.
Narayana Group has not decided on reopening yet, said Latha CS, Principal, Narayana e-Techno School, adding that safety of the students is of utmost importance to them. Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools, Karnataka (KAMS) told TNIE “Schools are prepared for reopening.
However, there is a financial constraint because parents are not coming forward to pay minimum fees. When schools fully open, the financial stability will be more -- more parents will pay fees. This is if schools reopen for students atleast from Class 5.”
Source: News 18
Change in curriculum, good and bad online practice should be part of the curriculum, say parents and teachers as long hours of online teaching make children vulnerable to cyber bullying and abuse.
Inappropriate content to sexual abuse - children learning online have to fight more than just long hours of screentime. Over 1.5 billion children and young people have been affected by school closures worldwide, says UNICEF. Spending more time on virtual platforms can leave children vulnerable to online sexual exploitation and grooming, as predators look to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic, added UNICEF.
Indian students and teachers too are working to ensure the safety of children as reopening of physical schools for all kids is not in sight soon. Since online learning is here to stay, academicians want policymakers to ensure the cyber safety of kids is a priority.
Bengaluru-based Martin Henry, whose son studies in class 5 at a CISCE-affiliated school, “Children spend a lot of time on the internet and the kind of content they browse online are way out of parents’ imaginations."
“I personally feel that cyber safety should be a priority. It is not only the school’s responsibility alone, but the parents should also be equally part of it," he adds. At home, he is trying to make online classes safer for his son by ensuring parental control, a secured WiFi network, blocking suspicious sites, limiting the number of websites visited per day, and keeping a strict schedule.
Even on safe sites, many children have to face bullying but in digital space, crashing of unknown people into a class are not one of instances. Pranav Sudhir Kashyap, a class 12 student of CBSE-affiliated CMR National Public School, Bengaluru told news18.com that he and his friends have seen instances of cyberbullying. “Students have to be protected against cyberbullying as well. I think it is essential for schools to reach out to students and motivate them to be frank about their feelings and experiences. Only then will online schooling become secure and possibly the new norm."
When it comes to online classes taught by the schools they “have also set their own identification systems to allow only the students that are enrolled. In this manner, teaching is uninterrupted."
Good online practices need to be part of the curriculum
Just like teaching good touch and bad touch has been streamlining, we need to mainstream hygenic digital habits in kids, said Nirmala Menon, CEO, and founder of Interweave Consulting.
“Children should be taught to recognise what is acceptable and not in online texting and conversations and that no one, whether from peers, staff or faculty can cross boundaries," she says.
“Both teachers and parents should be involved in teaching the students and at the same time, depending on the age of the child, s/he must be appropriately empowered and equipped to confidently call out bad experiences without any guilt", adds Menon.
Meghna Yadav, Head of Training and Development at KLAY Preschools and Daycare feels that students too should be trained about internet safety and “the training of good, bad, and ugly starts as soon as digital exposure starts for very young children." Yadav explains that the way parents talk about healthy food habits with their children, they should talk about a healthy digital diet with their children as well.
“Children need to be taught about digital resilience which includes the risks that can be found online, what to do if something goes wrong, putting multiple checks and digital blocks are some of the steps to make it safe," adds Yadav. “Open conversations in the family regarding real-life incidents of cybercrime are important. Entertainment websites, social media, mobile, and video games need to be consumed in a very limited quantity," she said.