The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs has warned that teaching children aged between 3 and 5 years through Zoom or other online platforms is contrary to educational psychology and child development principles.
In a statement, the Ministry said children in the preschool and early primary stages should learn in activity-based environments that encourage social interaction.
It noted that prolonged screen-based learning at such a young age could hinder the development of social skills, reduce attention span, and negatively affect creative thinking.
The Ministry further said national child development policies require young children to interact actively with their surroundings, warning that excessive exposure to digital devices could harm both mental and physical health, including vision and brain development.
Parents were also advised to avoid enrolling children in commercially organised online seminars targeting this age group, noting that such programmes do not improve educational standards and could disrupt natural child development.
The Ministry reminded that a child’s best teacher is real-life experiences and interaction with their environment rather than a digital screen. (Newswire)
