Call a stop to homework when classes are online: Experts
There must be no homework when students appear for classes online. That was the almost unanimous view of experts comprising doctors as well as a sports trainer and a special educator at a virtual discussion conducted by the Press Institute of India (PII) and the UNICEF State Office for Tamil Nadu and Kerala on the subject, Corona and Cornered: The Impact of the Lockdown on Children's Health. The COVID-19 pandemic, the subsequent lockdowns, extensions and restrictions had restricted children indoors, in front of gadgets, sometimes in unsafe environments. The experts emphasised that having to do homework (to be submitted virtually) after completion of online classes would worsen the problem. Some were even for having no excaminations. "Excessive digital time may cause behavioural changes like irritability, anxiety and fatigue," said Dr P. Poornachandrika, director & HOD, Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health. Younger children might cling more to parents or refuse t
