State govt mulls extending ban on online classes till 7th std

Team Udayavani, Jun 11, 2020, 3:22 PM IST

Bengaluru: State cabinet ministers have suggested to extend the ban on online classes till seventh standard, a day after Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar announced to stop online classes for children from Kindergarten (KG) to class 5 with immediate effect.

Speaking to reporters here, Law Minister JC Madhuswamy said that online classes were posing a challenge for students studying in rural areas and hence it was discussed to extend the ban till class 7.

Meanwhile Suresh Kumar in a tweet on Thursday said that extending the ban till class 7 is a suggestion made by cabinet ministers. A decision in this regard has not yet been taken.

“Karnataka Govt has decided to stop all On-line classes for LKG, UKG & classes up to 5th std. To extend this up to 7th std is only a suggestion from few cabinet ministers as expressed in an informal discussion and NOT a decision,” he tweeted.

Earlier on Wednesday, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar announced that schools have been asked to stop online classes for LKG, UKG and primary classes and also, collection of fees in the name of online classes.

He said, several complaints have been received regarding online classes, and he held discussions with experts, a body of private educational institutions and officials in this regard, and every one was of the opinion online classes cannot be an alternative to physical classes.

Further stating that the government had already issued a circular asking educational institutions not to hike fees on humanitarian grounds considering financial constraints of several people due to the COVID-19 pandemic and induced lockdown, Kumar said, if schools decide to reduce the fees amount, it will be a ‘very welcome move.’