The distribution of tablets to school children in Haryana, initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate learning, has taken an unexpected turn. Several gram panchayats and concerned parents have written letters to the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the education department, urging the authorities to take back the tablets from the students. The reason cited for this demand is the alleged misuse of the tablets for inappropriate activities such as accessing pornography and spending excessive time on social media. The government had taken the commendable step of providing tablets along with sim cards and 2GB of free data to students in schools with the intention of fostering their educational progress. However, it appears that the tablets have become a source of distraction, hindering the students’ studies and personal development.
Parents and Sarpanches from various villages across the state have expressed their concerns about how the tablets have turned into havens for accessing explicit content rather than being used for educational purposes. Additionally, children have reportedly been spending significant amounts of time on gaming and social media platforms, further compromising their academic performance.
The distribution of tablets among school children, initially seen as a progressive move by the education department, has now become a pressing issue. The affected Gram Panchayats are urging swift action from the authorities to address the matter promptly for the sake of the students’ safe and bright future. While acknowledging that the tablets might be misused for viewing illicit material, an anonymous official from the education department has emphasised that families must take additional responsibility in monitoring their children’s activities on these devices.
Despite the government’s earlier claims that the tablets would be equipped with robust security features, including the Mobile Device Management system to monitor content viewing, it seems that the system has proven to be vulnerable to hacking and tampering. Furthermore, the assurance that children would not be able to use the tablets for objectionable purposes has not been effectively upheld. Initially, the state government had planned to distribute tablets to 8.10 lakh students studying in 8th to 12th standards across 14,355 schools. However, the plan was later amended to provide tablets worth approximately 620 crore rupees to students studying in 10th to 12th standard in around 4,000 schools in the state.
In response to the growing concern from parents, gram panchayats, and Sarpanches, it is imperative for the education department to take immediate action and find a suitable resolution. The focus should be on ensuring that the tablets serve their intended purpose of facilitating education, rather than becoming a source of distraction or harmful content for the students.