Airtel, World Vision in awareness campaign on safe use of Internet
View(s):Airtel and World Vision Lanka, responding to the need to train the youth on safe ways to use Internet, are holding a series of online safety awareness drives for school teachers and principals in the Batticaloa district.
Under this initiative, over 6,000 O/Level and A-Level students in the region will be reached through teacher training programmes. Airtel, World Vision Lanka and Grassrooted will now aim to spur advocacy by introducing visual tools at schools to make an ongoing difference, according to a media release issued by Airtel.
With online penetration amongst children growing exponentially, its negative effects are also increasing. According to Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), the number of social media incidences—including suicide attempts due to cyber exploitation, bullying and violence among the student population—has grown by 300 per cent in 2017 from 2011. Some of them have ended with children taking the extreme step of ending their lives.
“By empowering students to build a positive digital footprint, Airtel is allowing students to control their actions online and be a positive influence on others. The telco believes that teachers need additional training to help students be kind and positive citizens online just as they do in the physical world,” the release said.
Jinesh Hegde, CEO/ MD at Bharti Airtel Lanka said: “We want students to be educated, empowered, and engaged in changing the online environment for the better.
We hope to use this unique opportunity to collectively promote respect and empathy online, inspire young people to harness their enthusiasm, creativity and support them to build positive online experiences for everyone.”
Commenting on the programme, Dr. Dhanan Senathirajah, National Director of World Vision Lanka stated,“We hope that this project will drive home a constant theme for students to take into consideration that everything they post on the Internet is both public and permanent. They will need to learn ways to neutralise the dangers the Internet can sometimes pose.”