The decision comes after complaints by some higher secondary schools highlighted in the media that students were found browsing unsuitable websites including ‘adult’ ones on internet. Even as some institutions have tackled the problem internally, its respective heads have reported the abuse of laptops and tablets to the education department.
“From the coming academic year 2015-16, all laptops and tablets distributed to students under the State cyber age scheme will have inbuilt URL filtering. The decision is taken to ensure safe browsing, which will deny access to unwanted sites,” education director G P Bhat told Herald. The department, he said,
State-run software provides Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited will be asked to exclude such websites and instead allow access to educational websites only. This, Bhat said, will however not ban the students from operating the system in the classrooms.
“We are reviewing the system. The ban is for the betterment of the students. They should focus to improve their knowledge with the electronic gadgets government is providing them with,” he said.
A total of 46,300 schools students were distributed tablets, which was introduced this academic year while about 15,500 higher secondary students including ITI and Polytechnics were given laptops. On an average, 15,000 laptops are distributed annually, ITG Managing Director Nilesh Faldesai said.
A recent sample survey conducted by Rescue, a Karnataka-based association had made startling disclosure that 80 percent of college and higher secondary boys in Goa watch adult sites, 47 percent degree and under-graduate level students watch child porn and 40 percent watch rape porn regularly. The survey had also revealed that 50 percent of those watching adult videos end up watching violent porn sites.
