Cyber safety to be in school curriculum

Hyderabad: Following the recent ransomware cyberattack that caused disruption in many countries, the State government has become alert of an increasing threat of cybercrime and internet hacking. To nip the cybercrime in bud, the State government has decided to induct ‘Cyber Safety’ as one of the subjects in the curriculum in 9th and 10th standard school education from next academic year.

The State Information Technology Department has already taken initiative to finalise the syllabus for the special subject in consultation with international organisations, including Cyber Peace Foundation.

The objective of the introducing of cyber safety in the curriculum is to educate students about the importance of the threat of cybercrime in the use of digital technology, particularly internet, social media, etc. The pupils would be taught about ‘Dos and Don’ts’ about the use of the digital platform for communication and information.

In the recent study conducted by State IT Department, it was found that students pursuing professional courses were unaware of cyber safety. As a result, they are facing difficulties in using digital technology. In some cases, students misused cyber technology and landed in trouble. To overcome such problems, the State government initiated steps towards educating students on cyber safety at school level.

The officials said the government was holding talks with some reputed organisations to provide special training to the teachers selected from every educational institution before introducing the subject ‘cyber safety’ in the curriculum at high school level. A team of State officials were studying the model introduced by Goa government to train the trainers.

The officials of State IT Department told The Hans India that the students would be awarded marks based on their performance in the examination on cyber safety every quarter.

Besides, the State government is also planning to hold an annual conclave involving the students and managements of the educational institutions to enlighten them on cyber security.