Parents go online for solutions

Updated on: Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Time and again, children’s use of the internet and technology has been a topic of discussion, but now, there are new players on the block. Parents too are making full use of various social networking sites to raise their voice against all that they think is troubling them—be it the education system or some personal problem.

Last year, the Bombay High Court stay on the best-five policy for SSC students did not go down well with most. Smit Jobanputra, an SSC passout, started a group on Facebook called ‘We are against the education system for SSC exam results, its unfair’.

Slowly, others too voiced their opinion in the matter. “We are common people and we don’t have the means to reach out to the government. At least through these websites, we know someone is listening to us,” said Rati Pillai, mother of 16-year-old Sarath who faced problems with college admission this year. She posted her problem on the Facebook page and within a matter of hours, was overwhelmed with the response. This year, too, hundreds of students and parents joined the online group and have discussed various topics online.

An incident of a student ending his life after being humiliated in school left several parents worried about the mental health of their own children. A group started the Facebook group called ‘Parents against corporal punishment in schools’. In weeks, parents across the world joined it. ‘In a way, it feels good to know that there are others who are facing similar problems’, was one of the comments.

A spate of student suicides in 2010 had led many parents to counsellors across the city and this pushed some towards seeking help online. Groups such as ‘Indian Education System Rots N Fight Against Students Suicides’ gave many parents a common point to discuss their problems as many psychiatrists were also part of the group. “The idea is to give parents an assurance that they are not alone,” said Sulochana Wani, a counsellor.

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