The Ministry of Education (MoE) has launched a campaign titled, ‘BEKIND’, to address the upsurge in what it calls ‘unkind behaviours’ which it said recently began appearing on social media.
According to MoE’s press release, it noticed that there were persons who were being ‘unkind’ to others in language and actions while on a platform. The ministry did not disclose which platform these behaviours were noted, neither did the ministry identify the ‘unkind actions’ it recognized. The campaign, according to MoE’s release, is aiming to promote the development of emotional intelligence of children, teachers, and parents through education and kindness. The campaign, the ministry says, targets children, teachers, and parents who have had harsh experiences due to Covid-19 and its impact.
The release stated that due to the Coronavirus pandemic, teachers, parents and students have had to find new ways to ensure learning continues. Towards this end, teachers started using Zoom, WhatsApp, Edmodo and other similar platforms to engage children while they are at home. It is in the context of the challenges encountered during internet-based home-schooling, that Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand urged social media users to be kinder, less harsh and judgmental and less insensitive. “Think twice before laughing at, mocking or poking fun at other social media users at this time,” Manickchand said. The campaign which runs for an indefinite period will use engaging and interactive posts to have discussions with users on the platforms on the issue. Also, short videos, sharable graphics, short animated videos and wallpaper graphics will be used for the advancement of the campaign.
