Kerala publishes cyber safety protocol for students
-26 February, 2019
The state-run Kerala infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) published a set of cyber-safety protocol, detailing guidelines. The protocol comes as per the recommendations in a report of the Welfare of Women, Transgenders, Children and Differently Abled under the state legislative assembly.The guidelines carry specific instructions for institution heads, parents and students to ensure cyber safety.
According to the protocol, a secure password would be ensured by the institution head in stating on safe search methods, facilitating uninterrupted availability of the internet to teachers and students, providing internet access to students only under the supervision of students and displaying instructions for secure internet browsing in classrooms and labs.
It has been mandated to conduct cybersecurity audit in schools across Kerala at least twice a year.
K. Anvar Sadath, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of KITE said that the teachers have been instructed to browse and download Information and Communication Technology (ICT) content well in advance in order to avoid teachers searching online in the class, in front of students, where there is a possibility of inappropriate content showing up in the search.
Mr. Sadat said that whenever internet-based projects are assigned to students, teachers have to pre-check the website and only the secured portals that are advised. Internet usage in schools has to be strictly restricted for learning activities, official purposes and other teaching/learning activities.
The protocol also specifies 11 activities that have to be strictly followed by the students. These include points on how personal information should not be saved on public computers, not to download content from untrustworthy sites, not to hand out personal laptops and mobile phones to strangers, how personal information should not be shared on the internet or any other social media networks.
"The protocol also demands the parents to alert the concerned officers if they feel that their child has become a victim of cybercrime," said Mr. Sadath.
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