Guidelines for Parents of Teenage Students

For exposing their child to specific and serious IT training after school hours
1. It has become mandatory to recognise the potential of teenage students and put it on constructive and productive work right during school education. It is possible by involving the students into serious IT (Information Technology) training; which is helpful for them for entire career & life. The prevention is better than cure. IT Training is essential for students of all streams like commerce, science, vocational and arts etc. The serious use of IT technology is requirement of all fields. 2. The latest powerful technologies like internet, mobile & computer gaming are becoming a threat to the lives and career of students in the absence of specialised and specific training in information technology (IT). The students time and energy must be employed on constructive, productive and result oriented projects instead of amateur work. Misuse of technology results misfortune.

3. Its an alarming condition when the misuse of technology (computer games, mobile and internet) by teenage is not only spoiling their precious time and money but also unknowingly driving them towards misconduct, psychological problems and career disasters. Its due to absence of specialised IT training & skills.

4. After the school hours, the students must undergo dedicated IT training, where they can use their potential to develop useful IT skills. The students must be enabled to generate their own practical outcome or project-work. A computer or laptop at home with internet connection may be helpful but its not answer to the problem, rather some times its the problem in itself. The delivery of dedicated professional IT training is a specialised field; its a different field from school education. Its not in the capacity of an individual tutor providing coaching or home tuition. It requires training institute with dedicated environment and well configured labs for professional work. 5. The IT training could be in the following areas, where students can be exposed to a serious training environment under the supervision of well trained, seasoned IT trainers. The area of training could be chosen by the student or parents as per the career plan and goal in life. The areas could be: 1. Digital Design, Designing and Publishing Software, Scripting Languages, Web Designing Tools and software, Development of CBTs, Tutors, Presentations for schools, CMS like Word-press, Joomla or Drupal. Professional certification and exams of Adobe are the benchmark of students achievements. 2. Professional use and certifications of office applications, Software system drawing tools like Visio, Info path, Professional programming concepts using latest technologies like .NET, software development, desktop/ web application development etc. Professional certification and exams of Microsoft are the benchmark of students achievements in this area.

3. Practical work on Digital Electronics, Analogue electronics, Microprocessor, computer networking, Preparation of international exams like a +, N +, Linux +, Networking Devices, Computer Network Installation, configuration etc. Professional certification and exams of Microsoft and Cisco are the benchmark of students achievements. Most of these trainings are practical and application oriented, which are much specialised and are out of the scope of school syllabus/ curriculum. 6. A student must start undergoing specialised and specific IT training right from the 6 standard and continue along with their career development years. During school education its mandatory to spend minimum 90 days every year as per students goal and plan of achievement. There are a few parents, who are career conscious, generally favour their child to keep such training continued round the year. 7. Its found that teenage students are more receptive and adoptive to the IT trainings and learning as compared to adults. They produce marvellous results and productive outcome, when they are well trained. So they must be exposed to well planned, systematic and properly scheduled trainings only. The trainings in casual and non-systematic manner produces insignificant or poor outcome. Most of the time parents are motivated and excited by watching their child doing numerous things on computer and most of these activities are just use of technology which anybody can do without undergoing any training. But such activities are sometime non productive and do not prepare them to generate useful, productive and worthwhile projects and fertile outcome. The casual work is not helpful in long term career. 8. Its parents responsibility to locate appropriate training institute or academy which is serious in its approach and there should be right investment of time and money. Be sceptical while choosing branded training centre under franchisee system. The parameters of selection of training institute could be the infrastructure, trainers, labs and equipment, training approach, environment, establishment years etc. The school is not accountable for selection or referral of IT training institute. 9. According to the spirit of Child Protection Policies, intensive and proper supervision, right motivation for acquiring right IT skills and environment to the children is the combined duty of schools and parents. Lots of organisations are creating awareness among students and parents for the safe use of internet & technology. But awareness at knowledge level vanishes away after short time, where as practical training lasts for whole life. The children are the assets of nation. They are the guardian of the world. Now safeguard the future of nation by ensuring that the children get right approach and environment at right time for attaining necessary IT Training and skills for securing their career and future. These are the statutory guidelines recommended by Indian Institute of Human Excellence & Development (IIHED) on the behalf of apex bodies for school education in India.
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