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Education

Early Childhood Care and Education(ECCE) for Growth Goals

Prioritising early childhood care and education (ECCE) to meet long term development goals
Prioritising early childhood care and education (ECCE) to meet long term development goals

A report by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, published in November 2022, revealed that at least 43 % students in India could not access online education for 19 months. This was when the world was fighting the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. While everyone focused on saving lives, its impact on the care and education of children was not given ample importance. Early childhood care and education needs a proper read.

Early childhood education in India has suffered because of various infrastructural and institutional problems. Over the years, the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) published by Pratham Foundation, has exposed the fissures in the Indian education system. From a decline in learning outcomes to inequity in access to technology, ASER reminds us of the inefficiencies in early childhood care and education in India.

Having said that, early childhood care and early childhood education suffer in the majority of developing countries. This has a negative effect on the long-term development goals of these nations. A UNESCO report found that access to pre-primary education has increased over a decade starting from 2010. However, the report also revealed that participation in pre-primary education was abysmally low (20%) in low-income countries.

To achieve the goal of universal pre-primary education by 2030, according to UNESCO, 9.3 million more full-time teachers will be required. The UNESCO Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, which took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from November 14–16, 2022, brought together more than 2,500 delegates from 147 nations to accomplish this. 

Participants included heads of state, ministers, educators, and experts. Participating nations agreed to devote at least 10% of their overall education budgets on early childhood education.

Importance of Early Childhood Care and Education

85% of brain development occurs in the first five years of life, according to research in the social and biological sciences and neurosciences. For children to reach their full potential, the first three years of life are especially important.

90% of a child’s brain has already grown by the time they are five years old, making the time from birth until they start school the most crucial in their lives. According to research, poor care, nutrition, and stimulation throughout these formative years and months can have long-term effects.

This shows that early childhood education and care are extremely crucial. If a child is provided proper nutrition, care, and receives good-quality education at an early stage, they are more likely to achieve higher potential in their life.

However, a report has found that children living in the poorest countries of the world are missing out on this opportunity. Even now, just 1.2% of the global community’s aid to education was spent on pre-primary education in 2020, up from 0.8% in 2015.

If countries aim to achieve their long-term development goals related to education, healthcare, poverty, gender, etc., it is imperative that they work towards improving early childcare education.

Problems in Education-related Programmes

The government created programmes like Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the Samagra Shiksha plan, and most recently the Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States project to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality education from an early age (STARS).

However, childhood care and education in India suffer because of many inefficiencies. First, there is a lack of infrastructure and robust data. India also spends merely 0.1% of its GDP on early childcare education. This is much less as compared to 0.6% spent in most developed nations.

The student teacher ratio in India is also 40:1 which makes it difficult to give individual focus to each child. While there have been many initiatives like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid-day meals, and a revamped National Education Policy, primary schools in rural areas still witness high dropout rates and poor attendance.

What does NEP 2020 have to say about it?

The Indian government’s National Education Policy 2020 suggests making early childhood care and education (ECCE) for kids ages 3 to 6 universal by 2030. This is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) established by the United Nations (UN), which aim to guarantee that all girls and boys have access to high-quality pre-primary education for at least one year in order to be prepared for basic school.

Nearly 8 out of 10 children aged 3-6 are enrolled in an ECCE programme, according to surveys. However, there are significant differences between states in India. However, there are state-wide gaps in these numbers with Uttar Pradesh having lowest participation and Karnataka with the highest.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has also published a comprehensive document: ‘National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Curriculum Framework’ to envision the right roadmap. The document provides a detailed view of what needs to be done to achieve the best results in this area.

Early childhood care and education are an essential part of the Indian constitution, and they are also ensured through Right to Education (RTE). While there have been various government programs and initiatives in the past, the country still needs to continue sustained efforts in this direction.

Globally, education and care for children is a matter of utmost importance. To reduce the inequality among nations and ensure universal basic education, it is crucial that all the countries come together and invest in early childhood care and education. This is the way forward to achieve their long-term development goals.

Smile Foundation and Education

Smile Foundation works on the education of children through its flagship initiative, Mission Education to make the children of the country more learned and independent thinker and doers. Learn more here!

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Smile Health

Good and Adequate Nutrition is Every Child’s Fundamental Need

Good and Adequate Nutrition is every Child’s fundamental need
Good and Adequate Nutrition is every Child’s fundamental need

Rantu Das (name changed) (63) lives in a village in a coastal district of Odisha along with his wife, mother, daughter-in-law, and 10 months old granddaughter. Both his sons work in the factories of Gujarat. While his sons are now repaying the debts taken to build their pucca house, managing the daily expenses of the family is his sole responsibility.

Rantu is a beneficiary of all the government schemes and also gets the old age pension but what he earns from agricultural work and sometimes as a construction labourer, he says, is not enough. His granddaughter is fond of fortified packaged baby food and packaged noodles, and so Rantu
says his expenses have increased.

He hardly saves any money for his own medical needs, which include medicines for diabetes and arthritis. Ask him about the Poshan Abhiyan, he says what’s that? He however admits that they get some food mix from the Anganwadi centre for the child. “But that’s not edible,” he says. The cereals and pulses in it are not ground properly and so they do not use those.


The Union and state government’s efforts to improve the nutrition of infants, children, women, and adolescent girls seem futile when Rantu and many like him living in rural areas of the country are unaware of the nutritional needs of their family members and how to stay healthy
without having to overspend.
Dependence on over-the-counter packaged foods has increased among people living even in remote locations with an increase in the volume of commercials which is no longer confined to TV or radio. Smartphones and internet connectivity have reached the hinterland but awareness about good health, nutrition and hygiene are still far from their reach.

People like Rantu are unaware that nutrition even of children and infants can be improved with a variety of foods available locally which are easily accessible and have been consumed traditionally for generations.

Nutrition in Children

The National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5 ) found that though the infant mortality rate (IMR) has declined across states, the malnourishment rate among children is increasing. The stunting rate has increased in 11 of the 17 states, the proportion of severely wasted children has increased
in 13 of the 17 states, and the proportion of children who are underweight has increased in 11 of the 17 states.

Bihar and Gujarat were found to have 40 per cent or more of the children under the age of five years were underweight. Interestingly, the proportions of women and men, between the age of 15-49 years, who are overweight or obese, have increased across all states except Gujarat and Maharashtra. In Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, and Himachal Pradesh, nearly one-third of men and women (between 15-49 years of age) are overweight or obese.

Malnourishment among children and anemia among women and adolescent girls is common. There are 17.76 lakh severely acutely malnourished children (SAM) and 15.46 lakh moderately acute malnourished (MAM) children in the country, as per the Union Women and Child Development Ministry.


The Government of India’s flagship programme Poshan Abhiyan (National Nutrition Mission) launched in 2018 aimed to reduce malnutrition in the country in a phased manner, through a lifecycle approach, by adopting a synergised and result-oriented approach.

The programme has now been extended to all the 36 states and Union Territories (UTs) of the country. The second phase of the Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition or Mission (POSHAN) 2.0 aims to promote nutrition awareness and good eating habits for sustainable health and well-being and address nutrition-related deficiencies through key strategies.

But despite the Poshan Melas, Pakhwadas, and Maahs organized under it throughout the year, there is still a lack of understanding about proper nutrition among the masses.

Malnutrition in Children

Malnutrition has three different forms: undernutrition, which includes wasting (low weight-for-height), stunting (low height-for-age), and underweight (low weight-for-age); micronutrient-related malnutrition, which includes micronutrient deficiencies (a lack of important vitamins and minerals) or micronutrient excess; and overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers).


According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 45 per cent of deaths globally among children under five years of age are linked to undernutrition. These mostly occur in low- and middle-income countries. Surprisingly, in the same countries, childhood overweight and obesity rates are also rising.

Almost every country globally is affected by some form of
malnutrition. But India today has a mixed population of children, adolescents, and women suffering from different forms of malnutrition. What’s worrying is that both underweight and overweight children are more vulnerable to diseases and illnesses.


Another common health problem that affects people of every age group is anemia, which is caused due to iron deficiency. But anemia among adolescent girls and women is the main concern among the disadvantaged groups in developing countries.

The NFHS 5 conducted in 2015-16 found that there was an increase in the prevalence of anemia among women and children in India. Among pregnant women, it was up by 1.8 per cent, among all women of the reproductive age it was up by 3.9 per cent, and among adolescent women by five per cent.


Among children, the increase was the highest at 8.5 per cent and was thus close to the levels recorded in the 2005-06 survey when the prevalence rate was 70 per cent. The government programmes and schemes including the Intensified Iron Plus Initiative launched
to make India anemia free, the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), Pardhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), and the supplementary nutrition provided to adolescent girls and children under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) are well-
thought-out programmes but their success depends on proper implementation which also should include creating awareness among people about the primary and affordable sources of good nutrition.

Nutrition as a Basic Right for Children

Undernutrition or micronutrient excess would together increase the overall healthcare spending of the country by several times and thus the cycle of slow economic growth, poverty, and ill-health would continue.

Addressing malnutrition is a must if we have to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, and SDG 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all ages.


Good nutrition is every child’s basic right and we will all have to work towards ensuring that not a single child in the country is deprived of it. Nutrition in children should be one of the major talking points in our country.

Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation, in its efforts to bring holistic changes in the lives of children, are doing everything in their power to make nutrition in children as one of the major areas that need everyone’s attention.

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Education

NEP 2020: Education Access in Rural India by Localised Learning

A Moral Imperative to keep Children out of Child labour
A child standing proud in his school uniform ready to go to school

Kaushiki is a 9 year-old girl living in rural Haryana. She didn’t have complete access owing to the underdeveloped region she lives in. Thanks to the newly formulated National Education Policy (NEP) now she has access to education and a bright future. That’s the story of many rural children in India after the implementation of the education policy discussed below: NEP in India.

The New Education Policy (2020) is a historic initiative and the first comprehensive policy under the central government in 34 years. NEP serves as a framework to direct the growth of education in the nation.

The NEP 2020 was created after taking into account more than 2 lakh suggestions from various local self-government units, including 2.5 lakh gram panchayats, 6,600 blocks, 6,000 ULBs, and 676 districts. This was done in an effort to promote overall effectiveness and citizenship in order to create a society that is inclusive, diverse, and equitable with a higher Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) of 50% by 2035.

The policy intends to make India a worldwide knowledge powerhouse while maintaining fairness and inclusion and has communicated the fundamental shift in the educational system.

NEP in India

The policy calls for changes in education at every level, from elementary school to higher education. It aspires to emphasise on improving teacher preparation, changing the current test system, early childhood care, and reorganising the educational regulatory environment.

Numerous academics have highlighted different parts of the draft NEP 2019 and NEP 2020 and provided critical analysis. The NEP 2020 appears to lack a critical debate on the issue of language policy and mother tongue education within the paradigm of social sciences, particularly in the field of political studies. We still have some miles to cover in language policy and language in education. NEP deprioritises English and gives importance to imparting education in native languages.

Advantages of NEP

The NEP is praised for its futuristic perspective which can bring significant changes in the current educational landscape. Some of its advantages are:

  1. Increased Expenditure on the Education Sector: The Indian education industry now receives only a 3% portion of the country’s GDP and with the implementation of NEP 2020, the spending will rise to roughly 6%, giving the sector a much-needed boost.
  1. Changes to School Structure: To lessen the stress of board examinations on children, the present 10+2 school structure will be replaced with the 5+3+3+4 pattern.
  1. From classes six through eight, there will also be a focus on vocational education, allowing students to pick up practical skills like carpentry, plumbing, pottery, gardening, and more while reflecting on their interests and growing in their knowledge of and appreciation for these trades.
  1. Broader Learning Choices: Multidisciplinary course options are now accessible to students in grades 9 through 12, which means that the boundaries between the various streams will be more permeable and allow for a wider range of topic pairings.
  1. Establishing Education as a Fundamental Right: At the moment, the government assures that children between the ages of 6 and 14 may get a compulsory education, a goal for which several initiatives, such the “Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan,” have been effectively implemented. However, it excluded a number of kids from the educational system. As a result, the new NEP pledges to universalize education so that all kids from 3 to 18 years old can get a free education in government-administered institutions.
  1. Opportunity to Learn Programming in School: The inclusion of computer and coding lessons in the curriculum as early as class 6 will be a great step toward improving the educational experience.

What more can Education-related Policies Do

Just like the two sides of a coin, there are advantages and disadvantages to NEP.

The NEP 2020 has earned appreciation for its various initiatives, but many of them have also generated certain questions and drawn vehement criticism, which have been referred to as significant flaws in the policy.

Language enforcement: The NEP places a strong emphasis on the use of mother tongues to teach the core topics in elementary classrooms with English instruction coming considerably later on.

India is a varied country with 22 major languages and tens of thousands of dialects, in contrast to other countries like Germany, Russia, Japan, China, France, etc., which all share a single mother tongue. Therefore, translating the fundamental themes into these many regional languages (and mother tongues) will be a challenging process that takes a lot of time, effort, and qualified personnel.

The implementation of native tongue and regional languages is perceived as an attempt to impose Hindi on the non-Hindi speaking states, which is another reason why some individuals have been outspoken in their opposition to the NEP.

A Different Perspective on NEP 2020

The NEP advises that English instruction in government schools begin in class 5, which will be a setback for kids who can only afford to attend government-run institutions. While the private schools will continue the habit of teaching English from the start, which will be very advantageous for their kids.

If English, the universal language, is taught to government school students at an early stage in their education, it would expand the gap between the various socioeconomic categories and eliminate multiple possibilities that may have been advantageous for the students.

NEP in India to benefit the Rural Regions

Due to the challenges connected with these places, high-quality education has mostly been absent from rural and geographically challenging areas. The NEP 2020 offers promise for filling the gap that has been left in these sectors. 

The policy paper contains a number of proposals for how to deliver high-quality education to rural and geographically challenging locations. The text coined the phrase “socio-economically disadvantaged groups” (SEDGs). The SEDGs also contain geographical identities in addition to gender identities, socio-cultural identities, socio-economic identities, and impairments. This will make it easier for these communities to get the government’s essential support and incentives in the future.

According to the NEP 2020, areas should be designated as Special Education Zones if they have a disproportionately high number of SEDGs, or students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds (SEZs). All programmes and policies must be fully implemented in these SEZs with further coordinated efforts. This will significantly alter the nature of schooling in these regions.

Additionally, the strategy designates some geographic areas as Aspirational Districts, which need special measures to support the growth of education there. This classification and identification of areas that require greater attention may prove to be a very successful strategy for eradicating the long-standing educational disparity. 

Comparison of the Policy to a Biodiversity Concept

This concept is comparable to the concept of biodiversity hotspots found in conservation biology which identifies certain areas that require immediate action to preserve biodiversity. Currently, there is a teacher shortage in remote and difficult-to-access places. Teachers frequently instruct in a variety of disciplines and areas apart from their primary area of expertise. 

As a result, the instructor is less effective and the kids aren’t receiving the right information. NEP 2020 seeks to guarantee that exceptional students, especially those from rural regions, enter the teaching profession in order to address this issue.

Special merit-based scholarships will be established in rural areas, and recipients will be given preference for employment in their communities after successfully completing their B.Ed. programs. Along with giving young people access to local employment opportunities and addressing the issue of a teacher shortage in rural areas, this will also help to portray these employed young people as role models for their community and as highly qualified teachers who are fluent in the local language.

Smile Foundation and Education

Smile Foundation has been actively involved in imparting education among the underprivileged through its Shiksha Na Ruke campaign. Villages and rural development are essential for the development of the nation. By contributing to Smile, you’ll be ultimately contributing to the development and future of the nation. Click here to know more.

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Insights

Dealing With Anxiety In Students

A Short History of Nonprofits in India
A Short History of Nonprofits in India

Childhood is the first chapter of the book of one’s life. It is scientifically established that childhood is a crucial stage as it lays the foundation for health, learning, and behavior thus shaping the personality of an individual. The experiences one has, as a child stay with the person throughout life. Hence, it is important that children are nourished, protected, given a sense of safety and responsibly cared for. Thus, anxiety in students is most undesirable.

However, in today’s fast changing, fiercely competitive, unstable and highly volatile world, both children and their care-givers are facing new and tougher challenges. One of these is mental health, which has attracted attention in recent years especially post Covid-19 pandemic, as its impact on children, adolescents and care-givers is alarming and demands timely intervention.     

Anxiety in Students

Mental health has been an under-addressed and overlooked health aspect in India for long mainly due to societal perception and stigma attached to it. However, the reality is that mental health issues are one of the most concerning health disorders of contemporary times especially with its rising impact on children and adolescents.

The Indian Journal of Psychiatry 2019 states that at least 50 million children in India were affected with mental health issues and 80-90% of them have not sought any support. According to the State of the World’s Children 2021, a global flagship publication of UNICEF, 14 % or 1 in 7 children in India in the age group of 15-24 years reported to have often felt depressed and lacked interest in doing things. The report further says that India is the only country among the 21 surveyed countries where only a minority of young people considers reaching out to seek help as the best way to deal with mental health issues.

According to a National Mental Health Survey conducted by NCERT, anxiety among students at middle and high-school levels in India is a major area of concern. Based on responses of around 3.8 lakh students across the country, this survey identified ‘frequent mood swings’ as a troubling indicator of anxiety across gender, grades and schools. 81% of students in this survey reported academics as their main cause of anxiety.

However, apart from academic demands, exams and results; parental pressure, career aspirations, peer relationships, social interactions, seeking validation from friends and social media also act as main triggers of anxiety in school and college students these days. If not nipped in the bud, these mental health issues can extend into adult life and prevent individuals from realizing their fullest potential.

Covid-19 Pandemic and its impact on Mental Health

Counselors suggest that children have been suffering from mental health issues for a long time. However, mental health awareness and discussion actually grew during the pandemic, thus opening the Pandora’s Box. The Covid-19 global pandemic unleashed a wave of terror, anxiety and stress which worsened the existing poor status of mental health in the country.

While fear of infection, isolation, loss of near and dear ones, anxiety of being quarantined, change in work atmosphere, uncertainty of life etc. could be counted as immediate impacts on mental health during the pandemic; there were long term worries regarding incurred financial losses or effect on livelihoods and need to adapt to changed circumstances.

In a way, children were worst hit mentally due to the Covid-19 crisis as they underwent an extremely tumultuous journey for which they were not prepared in the least. UNICEF in its global flagship report has warned that children and young adults in India could suffer for years to come due to impact of Covid-19 on their mental health. Among other things, the overnight transition into a socially distant, virtual world for routine work like school and office was quite a challenge for children, parents and teachers alike.

Anxiety during Online Classes

With schools and colleges being shut down as part of regulations imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19 infection, the only option available to students to continue education was switching to virtual mode. However, the change was sudden and drastic and children were not prepared for it. 

A few reasons which contributed to anxiety during online classes are outlined below:

  •  Limited access to resources: Not all students in our country have a stable internet connection to aid in smooth flow of online classes. Also switching to online classes needed investment in terms of a new/ extra device and internet pack which all families could not readily afford. Many students thus had the stress of being left out or inability to cope with online classes.
  • Inability to concentrate in online classes: Many studies indicate that it is difficult for majority of children to focus on online classes as there are multiple distractions. Lack of suitable places at home to attend online classes, distractions at home and on the internet connected devices added to the challenges of children.
  • Lack of a specific schedule: Online classes made children lazier and dull as they lacked a specific schedule of getting ready for school and involvement in different activities.
  • Social distancing: The inability to meet their friends, social seclusion and absence of extra-curricular activities has led to adverse impact on the mental health of children.

School and classroom teaching are designed for holistic development of a child where there is emphasis on interactions, engagement, co-curricular, sports and other activities besides academics. Switching to online classes abruptly has distanced children from all such experiences leaving them more anxious and confused.

How to Help a Parent with Anxiety

Parenting is a challenging job in itself and it has become tougher in today’s world. Competitive market, busy work schedules, working couples, nuclear families with no extra hands to help with home and kids; all these make life quite hectic which often results in stressed out parents and lonely children. Children often mirror their parents’ behaviour; hence parental anxiety might most likely transmit into their children if not managed timely and effectively. 

Here are a few tips for parents to deal with their anxiety:

1. Employ techniques like meditation and deep breathing when you are feeling anxious. Make it a daily practice to keep anxiety in check.

2. Identify your stress triggers, set boundaries and try not to dwell on such things

3. Explain your anxiety to your child if you had an outburst. Let them understand that it is alright to experience such emotions and not suppress them.

4. Talk to your family about situations that overwhelm you, take their help in managing those situations better.

5. Seek professional help if you’re unable to manage stress on your own.

6. Join a support group, you might find innovative stress busting ideas or some useful information

Concluding Thoughts

Mental health is crucial to our overall well being. While we often dismiss sad, anxious, aggressive, hyper-active behaviours as just being part of a developmental phase, it might be signs of mental health issues in some children. Mental morbidity may manifest itself in many forms in children like anxiety, depression, mood swings, learning, eating or other behavioural disorders. Identifying these early signs and addressing them timely, alongside providing a positive and healthy environment is the key to raising less anxious and happy children.      

Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation wants all our children associated with our various programmes to feel seen and cared for in their growth and development areas- educational, physical, mental and emotional. We believe that children do better when adults listen to them with empathy and eagerness so that they become capable enough to find solutions to their own problems.

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Health

Bedrock of Safe and Sustainable Healthcare Policy in India

Nonprofits Help Make the Indian Healthcare Systems Robust
Nonprofits Help Make the Indian Healthcare Systems Robust

Access to safe and sustainable blood supply forms the cornerstone of safe and sustainable healthcare in India, and the healthcare policy in India is reflective of that.  The Indian Government is working towards achieving Universal Health care for all its citizens by the year 2030, primarily by ensuring that everybody has access to quality healthcare services. This includes access to safe blood that is bereft of transfusion transmitted infections, and is stored with optimum care under optimal conditions.

Universal and timely access to safe blood can help save the lives of millions of people across the world, in addition to improving their health. Thus it is imperative to ensure that everybody has access to safe and adequate blood in order to ensure quality patient care and prevent the loss of lives. 

According to the World Health Organization, all the processes entailed in the collection, testing, storage and distribution of blood necessitates effective organization and blood supply networks in order to ensure consistency in the quality and availability of blood.  It is imperative that all the blood that is donated by blood donors be screened thoroughly for infections prior to being used in order to negate the transmission of infections including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, HIV and Syphilis.

Healthcare Policy in India: National Blood Policy 

India’s National Blood Policy seeks to ensure easy accessible and adequate supply of pure and safe blood and blood components that is procured from a voluntary blood donor in sanitized and well equipped premises in order to negate the possibility of transfusion transmitted infections. The blood is also required to be stored and transported under optimal conditions. It is also mandatory to conduct blood transfusion under the guidance and supervision of trained personnel for those in need, irrespective of their financial, social status.

The Government of India is undertaking a plethora of measures to ensure blood safety and blood availability for citizens in dire need. Through its health policy and programmes in India the government is investing resources to develop and restructure the blood testing and blood transfusion services. 

The government is also committed to using the latest technology for blood transfusion services, arranging awareness drives to remove the misconceptions pertaining to the donation of blood among the masses in addition to ensuring an adequate supply of safe blood. It also aims to encourage research on Transfusion Medicine.

Steps to Ensure Blood safety and Availability

The health policy and programmes in India includes a plethora of measures to ensure easy and universal access to safe blood in order to meet the healthcare requirements of its citizens. This includes establishing a national blood system for blood transfusion services, introduction of ethical blood policies, ensuring adequate and timely supply of safe blood to those in need, screening of blood donors to prevent infections, blood compatibility tests, good transfusion practices, blood management of patients, training of staff, quality assessment among other things.

Smile Foundation and Healthcare

Smile Foundation realising the need for accessible and quality healthcare for all runs a campaign ‘Health Cannot Wait’ is trying to provide people from the lower-income sections of the society access to affordable healthcare, preventive medicine, health emergency preparedness and support at their doorstep across urban slums and rural pockets of India. Healthcare must reach to all is one of our strongest beliefs.

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Health

Turning 100– Indian Healthcare System in 25 Years

Indians and their Healthcare out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE)
Indians and their Healthcare out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE)

Healthcare, like our other rights and privileges, is given to us by the Constitution of India. The Constitution of India states that the government is to ensure the right to health for all. It is mandatory on the part of the governing authorities to provide free and quality primary and basic healthcare and facilities to its citizens.

For a better understanding, let’s dig deeper into the healthcare system in India.

Healthcare System in India

India has a multi-payer universal health care model that is paid for by a combination of public and private health insurance funds along with the element of almost entirely tax-funded public hospitals. The Indian model of the healthcare system is organized into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

At the primary level, there are Sub-Centres and Primary Health Centres (PHCs). At the secondary level, there are Community Health Centres (CHCs) and smaller Sub-District hospitals.

How are we doing Healthwise? 

We have seen that whilst India has experienced steady economic growth which has definitely enhanced the country’s overall health and poverty markers such as an increased life expectancy, and lesser deaths due to starvation- both communicable and non-communicable diseases.

However, we still struggle with critical factors such as cleaner facilities and a lack of safe and pure drinking water in all regions. 

Diseases caused by water-borne organisms contribute to mortality, mainly among children. Even malnutrition persists mostly amongst the marginalized sections of society. Another key area of medical concern is  HIV/AIDS infections. India has the highest number of individuals with HIV or AIDS in the world. 

It’s safe to say that the evolution of healthcare in India over the past 25 years has been a mixed bag. While key health metrics such as the infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality ratio (MMR) have come down substantially, healthcare expenses have shot up— a direct fallout of lower public health spending. 

Healthcare Quality in India

The health system, as mentioned earlier is a combination of two very different sectors: the public, and private systems. Indian citizens have access to free outpatient and inpatient care in public, government facilities.

In this sector, health coverage is universal but the system needs more funding and there is a lack of facilities as well as shortages of medical staff and supplies. Due to the lack of resources and services, many Indian citizens turn to the private sector for care.

The private sector healthcare has hospitals that provide services at costs that are not affordable to a vast majority of the population. It is especially true for the lower-income groups who cannot afford to fund these additional out-of-pocket payments. 

Current Situation

From 1995 to 2014, 65% of India’s healthcare spending came from personal budgets. The average Indian still accesses public health care unless they have coverage to receive private care. The Indian government has recently established a National Health Protection Scheme called Ayushman Bharat. This programme allows low-income individuals to get cashless secondary and tertiary care at private facilities.

However, currently, only about 37% of the population is covered under this scheme. The private health sector offers high-quality health care at a cost that is a burden to the average Indian citizen.

The private sector attracts many foreign patients, which makes India a hot spot for medical tourism. It provides the majority of secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care institutions with a major concentration in metropolitan areas as well as tier-I and tier-II cities.

Healthcare Challenges in India

Since India has a combined public health system- the medical and healthcare facilities differ in India state-wise. The state governments focus more on providing healthcare services and health education, while the central government provides administrative and technical services.

There are variations in delivery models, insurance coverage, availability, and access. Health disparities are prevalent between poorer and richer states with underfunded health systems that in many cases are need better regulation. 

Indian Healthcare Today 

  • Inadequate Access- the most deserving and the neediest often don’t have the proper access to healthcare as and when needed. Some rural areas don’t even have a primary care physician who can be available easily.
  • Affordable Healthcare– while basic and primary health care is provided by the government at no cost, it is the specialized treatment costs that most individuals in the country are unable to bear. Illnesses such as cancer or dialysis are very expensive and most people don’t have enough savings to be able to afford private medical help for them.
  • Lack of Preventive Care– educating the population on how to be healthier and hence avoid the onset of any illness or disease is lacking in the country. Not only rural but even the urban population has limited knowledge of preventive medicine and its uses.
  • Policymaking– to be a stronger nation, India must step up its healthcare program and initiatives. The executive should consider adding additional schemes targeted to various sections of society, such as women, children, senior citizens, etc. to ensure that all of its population is covered and has equal access to healthcare in India.
  • Shortage in Professionals– this is a constant issue that has plagued the country for years. On the one hand, we are seeing exponential growth in our population, but we are not seeing the same in the numbers of educated and professional medical staff. This is more apparent in the rural areas where unfortunately there is a constant paucity of medical staff. 
  • A Paucity of Resources– a constraint that impacts negatively to provide of quality healthcare. Just like the shortage of healthcare professionals, medical supplies and resources are also scarce. There should ideally be enough stocks of medical materials and assets to ensure that all individuals are provided for. 

India’s Future In Healthcare 

India@100 has new challenges waiting. These include climate change, the rising aspiration of the people, inequitable access to resources, and the biggest current challenge of all: Health. Due to its huge population of 1.35 billion, India@100 will have to address its concerns humanely, efficiently, and adequately. 

Smile Foundation and Healthcare

Smile Foundation through its initiative, ‘Health Cannot Wait’ is trying to provide people from the underprivileged sections access to an affordable healthcare system in India, preventive medicine, health emergency preparedness, and support at their doorstep across urban slums and rural pockets of India.

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Livelihood

Livelihood Skill Training Programme For Employment

Livelihood Skill Training Programme Essential for Employment Opportunity
Skill Training to reduce Livelihood Skill Training Programme Essential for Employment Opportunity

Earning a respectable livelihood is a basic need of every individual and household. To make a living, it is also important to possess necessary skills that make one employable. For a large number of people, the livelihood skill training programme does this work. It helps people in learning the appropriate skill and then finding a source of livelihood based on that.

Now, livelihood skills or vocational skills can be anything like sewing, carpentry, plumbing, and much more. Having these skills prepares one to find employment opportunities as a skilled worker. The skilled worker also earns more than an unskilled worker which makes livelihood training extremely important.

The importance of livelihood training can also be judged from the fact that it also includes life skills. Management skills, entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy, and technical skills can all be a part of livelihood training.

What is the importance of Skill Development?

As we understand, livelihood skill training prepares individuals for jobs that pay them decent wages. This, in itself, makes skill development important. Less than 47% of the 5 million students who graduate each year in India find jobs, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), and only 20% of them are employable. Each year, more than 12 million young people with a variety of educational backgrounds are introduced to the market for job seekers.

These young job seekers are entering a market which may not have enough opportunities for them. Especially, in the post-covid era, the economic slowdown has impacted job creation. In fact, major companies are laying-off their employees because of the negative growth. 

Most of the data available to us is related to the formal sector. It is estimated that 90% of workers in India are still employed in the informal sector. Data of the job losses in the informal sector is not available to us. However, it can be assumed that the problem is equally severe for the informal workers too.

According to some estimates, up to one-third of people of working age in developing nations lack the fundamental skills needed to properly govern themselves, their households, and to make a living. This is why the importance of skill development in India is readily acknowledged. Skill development helps a large workforce to find and create work opportunities for themselves.

Livelihood Skill Development Schemes

A number of organisations work in the skill development area in India and around the world. According to research done by the National Sample Survey Office, in 2018 India’s unemployment rate reached a 45-year high of 6.1%.

India enjoys a special demographic advantage because more than 60% of the population is under 25. But employability needs to be raised if we want to benefit from having such a huge labour population. According to recent data, just 10% of recent graduates are employable, and the other 90% do not possess the necessary abilities to be considered for corporate employment.

The Indian government also understands the importance of skill development for the growth of the country. This is the reason why the government of India has taken various initiatives related to this and have launched livelihood skill development schemes.

The Govt of India Skill Development Programme aids in raising awareness of the initiative’s goals and helps people comprehend its prospectus. As part of the Skill India Mission, the government is implementing several skill-development programmes across the country through 20 central ministries and departments. 

These include the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), and Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS).

According to the India Skills Report 2021, only 45.9% of young people will be regarded as employable. Comparatively, about 46.2% of people were considered employable in 2020 and 47.4% in 2019. This shows that the initiatives taken by government and NGOs have had an impact to a certain extent.

Rajeev Chandrashekher, Minister of State for Skill Development, also said that the government had received more than 368 crores in the National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) in five years from 2017 to 2022. The minister added that more than 101 crores out of this was received as corporate social responsibility contribution.

Employment Opportunities and Beyond

According to a Nasscom-Zinnov research, India will have a 14–19 lakh professional shortfall in the IT sector by 2026. India needs 52 lakh more IT workers than the 46 lakh that are now employed there. This is just one example that shows various industries in India may require higher people than available.

One reason for this is that technical and other education in India does not focus on skilling. Anyone graduating with a degree may not find a job. But a skilled learner with a degree has higher chances of being employable. As India works towards leveraging its demographic dividend and creating opportunities, it is important that focus is given to skilling.

This is the reason the government has also launched the National Institutional Ranking Framework which also focuses extensively on how the institutes are working on skilling their students. NITI AYOG also has a Skill Development and Employment Division which is aimed towards “building and sharing knowledge for accelerating policy initiatives for making Indian youth and workforce employable” and “identifying as well as offering solutions to critical issues concerning employment, jobs and livelihood creation”.

In order to develop policy/program initiatives and reforms connected to skill development, apprenticeships, and employment challenges, the Division collaborates with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE). In order to progress research geared toward having an impact on policy and programme activities, the Division also works with a variety of research organisations, development partners, and specialists.

Thus, we can see that there is a strong link between livelihood skill development programme and preparing people for employment. This is why the importance of skill development is realized by the government, CSRs and NGOs. As we move forward, we must continue to focus in this area to make our growing population of young Indians capable of finding meaningful work.

Smile Foundation and Livelihood

Smile Foundation through its livelihood initiative, STeP in its efforts towards a more employed nation, is training & up-skilling the Indian youth between the age of 18-32 years to make them able enough to secure a livelihood.

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Smile

Livelihood Skill Development Training Programme for Rural Youth

Livelihood Skill Development Training Programme for Rural Unemployed Youth

With a population of 1.4 billion people, India is not just the 2nd populous country in the world but also holds the reserves of vast human resources. Better still is the fact that the current median age in India is 28.4 years which indicates a distinct demographic advantage as around 68% of the population belongs to the working age-group. However, possessing this demographic dividend alone is not enough. It is imperative that our human resources are converted into efficient human capital that can drive the economic growth of the country. Livelihood Skill Development Programme can play a crucial role in this regard by training them early and training them right. Here’s the why and how!

Livelihood Skill Development Programme: Definition and Need

Livelihood skills refer to the skill set or capabilities, resources and opportunities required for pursuing economic goals or income generation. These comprise technical know-how and vocational skills which can help a person take up an occupation and also the basic skill set like interviewing skills, business acumen, digital skills, accounting and money management etc. required for seeking any job or entrepreneurial activity.

Livelihood skills can truly empower an individual and make him/her capable of gainful employment to meet the needs of self as well as family. The livelihood skills also enable an individual to put their education to practical use. India accounts for one-fifth of the world’s youth population. This can be a tremendous opportunity for our country provided; the youth population is skilled and employable to further the nation’s economic goals.

According to a study, lack of employability skills of Indian youth is a far greater problem than the current scenario of unemployment in India. Data presented in this study from UNICEF and Global Business Coalition for education states that by the year 2030, 54% of South Asians will lack the requisite skills to secure a decent job. It further says that 50% of Indian youth are off the track from obtaining education and skills required for employment by 2030.

A report by ASSOCHAM states that out of about 5 million students graduating every year in India, less than 47% are employable and only about 20% find employment. Many studies point at the loopholes in our existing education system as primarily responsible for this situation. In today’s dynamic world, one needs multiple skills to adapt and meet the requirements of any industry. Besides subject knowledge, communication and soft skills, basic digital literacy and IT skills are also a must to thrive in the job market.

The main purpose of a livelihood skill development programme is to impart the necessary skills to enhance the ability and opportunities of income generation and sustainable livelihood and hence have access to improved standard of living.

Skill Development Training in Rural India  

Rural youth comprise nearly 68% of the total population of India, of which 52% are male and 48% are female. This establishes the fact that our demographic dividend is concentrated in rural India and in order to foster economic growth through human capital, our rural youth must be able to realise their full potential. However, in absence of targeted training and skill development our rural youth often face challenges to adapt to today’s fast changing world and ever evolving job market.

Understanding the importance and urgency of this matter, the Govt. of India has launched the initiative of Skill Development Training with the primary objective of empowering women and educated unemployed youth. Indian Government’s Skill Development programmes are designed to impart the necessary skills to enhance productivity and employability of rural youth.

Various schemes have been launched for skill development of rural youth under the Ministry for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).  These schemes further the objective of building self-reliance as envisioned in the idea of ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ by the honourable Prime Minister.

Few of the rural skill development programmes in India are listed below:

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana(DDU-GKY): Launched in 2014 by Ministry of Rural Development as part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), it serves the dual objectives of fulfilling career aspirations of rural youth as well as adding diversity to income of poor rural households. DDU-GKY focuses on rural youth in the age group of 15-35 years belonging to economically weaker families. Data shows that 12,69,442 candidates have been trained and 7,60,365 placements done under DDU-GKY by year 2022.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): Flagship scheme of Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) aimed at training youth to be industry-ready and secure a better livelihood. This skill certification scheme recognizes prior learning and also certifies them after due assessment. This scheme empowers both educated and uneducated unemployed youth with practical and vocational skills. Along with training and skill upgradation, PMKVY also provides placement assistance and continuous monitoring.

Craftsmen Training Scheme: One of the flagship schemes of Directorate General of Training (DGT) under MSDE for long term vocational training in the country. This scheme is implemented through a network of government and private Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) throughout the country aimed to create skilled workforce for around 138 trades in various industries.

Besides the above, there are many skill training and rural youth development programmes under Skill Training of Rural Youth (STRY) implemented by Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Govt. of India which imparts agri-based vocational skill training to rural youth. These programmes have transformed the lives of many rural young men and women and inspired hundreds of others through their examples.

Impact of Skill Development Programmes on Rural Youth

The primary objective of every skill development programme is to enhance the abilities and thus opportunities of the candidates by equipping them with necessary and relevant skills. These programmes when properly implemented can create a positive spiral at both individual and community level.

 According to a research paper the DDU-GKY programme which is a placement linked training and skill-development initiative for poor rural youth has had a significant economic impact on livelihoods of the beneficiaries by increasing employment opportunities as well as augmenting income levels. This in turn enhances their disposable income, thus improving standard of living.

Similarly, a compilation of 75 success stories under Skill Training of Rural Youth (STRY) by National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) brings into focus the commendable impact created by many such training programmes across the country.

Whether it is the story of Tapash Roy of Assam who used various poultry rearing skills acquired in a training to substantially increase his income or the story of a small time farmer Edmon Lamurong of Meghalaya who picked scientific skills of honey extraction from a training programme to generate sustainable profits from beekeeping; every single success story in this compilation reverberates with applause for the skill training programmes and impact they have on lives of individuals and their families.

Conclusion

Livelihood skill development training programmes not only mitigate unemployment and improve standard of living for rural households but also directly or indirectly impact multiple aspects like rural-urban migration, socio-economic position of women and equitable access to opportunities, thus playing an instrumental role in the progress of the entire nation. 

Smile Foundation and Skill Development

Smile Foundation through its e-learning education programme, STeP continues to create a pool of young and independent people through skill enhancement in tandem with market requirements providing training in soft skills, basic computer use, spoken English, and the basics of written communication as well. It is our custom-made skill development programme for the Indian youth.

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Education

10 Rights Of A Child In India

Child Rights In India

It is really upsetting to watch kids who have been abandoned, left to fend for themselves on the streets, subjected to abuse, and denied access to even the most basic schooling. They experience many sorts of violence. In addition, they lack even access to basic medical services. Every day, they endure brutal and terrible treatment. They are innocent, young, and lovely youngsters who are being denied their rights. Let’s learn about some important rights of children in India.

The rights of children have been ratified the most often in the history of human rights. Child rights go beyond basic human rights, which ensure that everyone is treated fairly and decently and support their wellbeing. A child, defined as anybody under the age of 18, has special requirements that go beyond basic human rights because of their vulnerability.

Rights of Children In India: A  Short Overview

Child rights are described as the “minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be afforded to every citizen below the age of 18 regardless of race, national origin, color, gender, language, religion, opinions, origin, wealth, birth status, disability, or other characteristics” by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These privileges comprise children’s freedom and civil rights, a supportive family environment, basic healthcare and social services, educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities, as well as extra security measures.

The laws that govern our nation and the international legal instruments that we have ratified guarantee a number of norms and rights. The Indian Constitution grants certain rights, particularly for children. Children also enjoy a number of other basic rights as equal citizens of India, just like any adult male or female. No matter what limitations there may be, everyone is entitled to these rights.

Major Rights of Children In India are:

Right to Equality

Every citizen in India is equal before the law and is given equal protection under the law, according to Article 14 of the Indian Constitution. As a result, since Indian children are also citizens of this country, this right also applies to them.

Right against Discrimination

The Constitution forbids discrimination on the basis of race, caste, and other factors under Article 15. No citizen may be subjected to discrimination on the basis of his or her race, religion, caste, sex, or place of birth, according to Article 15(1). The State should not be barred from adopting any specific measures for women and children, according to Article 15(3).

Right to Life

Each and every person has the right to life, liberty, and security, as stated in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Additionally, it stipulates that no one may be deprived of their life or personal freedom until doing so in accordance with a legal process. In a similar vein, every kid in India is entitled to personal freedom and due process.

Right to Health

Every kid has the right to have a healthy life under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, although tangentially. The protection of life includes, among other things, issues like HIV infections, a lack of clean water to drink, proper sanitation, and starvation.

Right to Express Oneself Freely

Every Indian citizen now enjoys the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a). Everyone has access to this privilege, including Indian children. Children are allowed to express themselves freely as long as they don’t hurt others with their ideas or expertise.

Right to Education

Every child in the age range of 6 to 14 has the right to free and compulsory primary education under Article 21A of the Indian Constitution. The State should endeavor to provide early childhood care and education for all children under the age of six, according to Article 45.

Right to Protection against being subjected to Trafficking and Forced Labor

Every individual (including children) has the right to protection from human trafficking, begging, and other similar types of forced labor, according to Article 23 of the Indian Constitution.

Right to be protected from Dangerous Jobs

Every child under the age of 14 has the right to be safeguarded from employment in mines, factories, or other risky employment situations under Article 24 of the Indian Constitution.

Right to protection from Abuse

According to Article 39(e) of the Indian Constitution, employees’ health, strength, and young age are not infringed, and there is a right to protection from abuse and from being coerced into small jobs or avocations against their will because of economic need.

Rights against exploitation of any kind, including Social Injustice

The rights of the weaker members of society are covered in Article 46 of the Constitution, which also states that they must be protected against social injustice and all other types of exploitation.

Right to Identity

The right to identify is a crucial component of children’s rights. In India, just 41% of births are recorded. A fundamental human right that grants someone the freedom to exercise all of their other rights is having an identity. An individual’s family name, last name, date of birth, gender, and country make up their identity. An individual will have rights and duties according to their status if they are able to identify such identities (woman, man, child, etc.).

Types of child abuse offences

Amazing things are something that people are capable of doing. We have repeatedly abandoned thousands of children despite having changed the definition of what is feasible a hundred thousand times. This decline in human capacity has been accepted as “normal” by society. Millions of children’s fundamental rights are denied to them or infringed, including the right to an education, protection from exploitation, and freedom from child labor.

Now that we are aware of rights of children in India, it is time to learn about the several ways that children might have their rights violated. The following are only a few of the numerous crimes against children that violate their rights:

Child Marriage

Children’s fundamental rights are violated by child marriage. Children who are victims of this crime frequently have to quit school, violating their fundamental right to an education guaranteed by Article 21 and Article 45 of the Constitution.

Additionally, they experience assault (sexual, physical, and mental), which violates their right to personal liberty guaranteed by Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. Child marriage exposes young people to situations for which their bodies and minds are not yet developed, such as parenthood.

In India, there are almost 24 million child brides.

Child Labor

The full day is frequently spent by children under the age of fourteen sewing shoes and footballs, rolling cigarettes and incense sticks, making handicrafts, packaging, and labelling various products. Youngster labor is frequently a result of poor parental income or the unemployment of the family’s adults, which forces the child to care for or contribute to household needs.

The following are the main causes of child labor:

Food insecurity, extreme poverty, societal issues, and economic difficulties are a few examples.

The other elements include:

Lack of knowledge of the negative impacts of child labor, inability to obtain basic, relevant education and training.

Using Children for Begging

Indian children still endure some of the worst conditions and punishments to this day, one of which is coercing or forcing them to beg. Article 21 of the Constitution (right to personal liberty) and Section 76 of the Juvenile Justice Act both make it illegal to employ or utilize a kid for begging.

The Mistreatment of a Child Worker

A youngster may be purportedly employed, kept in servitude, refused his portion of the money, or even have his earrings used for the employer’s benefit. Article 39(e) and Article 46 of the Constitution both forbid this behavior, and Section 79 of the Juvenile Justice Act penalizes it.

Smile Foundation and Children

The Smile Foundation has been actively involved in spreading awareness about rights of children in India. We are very serious about rights of children in India and are actively involved in putting every child of lower-income families back into schools for a better future.

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Smile

Internet Safety for Children

Internet safety for children

Why Internet Safety Matters ?

 

There’s no getting around technology today. It is everywhere, from when you wake up till you rest your head at night. Children and youth have non-stop access to the internet, from smartphones to tablets to computers and even televisions, making internet safety for children a very real risk.

 

The lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19 in India resulted in the sudden closure of schools, with a shift from traditional teaching to the online mode. Due to online teaching, children who were earlier kept away from mobile phones and did not have much knowledge about internet use also started using the internet fearlessly on the pretext of online teaching.

 

We are all well aware of the dangers of internet if used carelessly and without full awareness. As the shift to online teaching was abrupt, the children were not prepared for the dos and don’ts of using the internet, putting them in a highly vulnerable situation.

As more children start using internet independently and without supervision, they are open to several internet safety risks which could impact their own as well as their family’s lives in an adverse way.

 

Internet Safety Risks for School-age Children

 

Content Risks
For school-going children these risks include things that they might find upsetting, disgusting or otherwise uncomfortable, if they come across them accidentally. This might include sexual content in games, pornography, images of cruelty to animals, and real or simulated violence.

 

Contact Risks
These risks include children coming into contact with people they don’t know or with adults posing as children online. For example, a child might be persuaded to share personal information with strangers, provide contact details after clicking on pop-up messages, or meet in person with someone they’ve met online.

 

Conduct Risks
These risks include children acting in ways that might hurt others, or being the victim of this kind of behaviour. For example, a child might destroy a game that a friend or sibling has created. Another conduct risk is accidentally making in-app purchases.

 

Contract Risks
These risks include children signing up to unfair contracts, terms or conditions that they aren’t aware of or don’t understand. For example, children might click a button that allows a business to send them inappropriate marketing messages or collect their personal or family data. Or children might use a toy, app or device with weak internet security, which leaves them open to identity theft or fraud.

 

Teaching your Children about Internet Safety

 

The intention isn’t to scare you or make you want to lock down all of your electronic devices. As previously mentioned, in today’s technology-driven world, children need to understand and use the internet. But, the key is to teach your children exactly how the internet works and how to explore the web safely.

 

Children are innately innocent creatures, full of trust and never expecting that someone could harm them. Therefore, when a potential predator initiates a conversation online, claiming to be a fellow 9-year-old, your child might believe them. This common occurrence is catfishing, when someone misrepresents themselves online to try and get something from someone else.

 

So, your kid proceeds to chat with this person, unwittingly providing them with critical personal information. Even more chilling, they can make this faceless person privy to their whereabouts, ultimately leading to a potential abduction.

 

These things happen, but your children aren’t going to know they exist if you don’t talk to them about it. Therefore, the first step in keeping your children safe on the internet is to educate them about the possible risks. Set up some ground rules with your children about what they can and can’t do on the internet.

 

Signs your Child might be Facing Cyber Threats/Risk

 

Here are a few signs to look out for that your child might be a victim of cyberbullying:

 

  • Your child doesn’t want to talk to you about what they do online
  • After spending time on a computer, tablet, or phone, your child seems stressed or upset
  • When your child gets a text or some other type of online message, they suddenly seem nervous
  • Your child abruptly closes their tablet or puts down their phone while using it and walks away
  • You notice behavioural changes in your child, such as not sleeping well, loss of appetite, or feeling depressed
  • Your child could experience physical problems like headaches or an upset stomach
  • You notice your child doesn’t want to hang out with their friends anymore or go to school

Protecting children from internet safety risks

 

Trust between you and your child helps keep your child safe online. Calm, open conversations about internet use can help your child feel that you trust them to be responsible online. And if your child feels trusted, they’re more likely to talk with you about what they do online and tell you about online content and contacts that worry them.

 

If you believe your child is facing cyber risk/threat, talk to them and encourage them to gather evidence. Take screenshots, save messages, and so on.

 

If the risk/threats includes bullying, threatening messages or any other suggested criminal activity, alert the police. Consider bringing your child to a counsellor to help them deal with the issue. Finally, let your child know you are always there for them if and when they need you.

 

In addition to making your children aware of the potential risks of internet use, it’s a good idea to put some practical protections in place. Set up parental controls and passwords that only allow your children to access certain websites.

 

When applicable, use the kid versions of messaging platforms. For example, Facebook has a Messenger Children that features more parental controls and links your kid’s chats to you. Therefore, whenever they receive or send a message, you see it.

 

To keep your children safe online, you also need to educate yourself. Know how predators try to find and contact their victims (it’s often through chat rooms).

On your internet settings, go to the Privacy & Security page and carefully read through every section. You can choose what information various sites have access to. For example, you can deactivate your web camera and microphone, and deny sites from knowing your location or sending notifications.

 

Conclusion

 

When we make our children aware about internet risks and take some practical internet safety precautions, we protect our children from potentially harmful or inappropriate content and activities. And our children get to make the most of their online experience, with its potential for learning, exploring, being creative and connecting with others.

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