Published: 09:06 AM, 21 August 2026
Online Technology in Our Education System
Babul Chandra Sutradhar
Education is the backbone of the nation. Not only for life and livelihood, but in any judgment, education is indisputably considered as an indispensable element for humans. Because, education provides some theories, information, advice, sense of discipline, morality, knowledge and values, which become the path for individuals, groups, regions, societies and nations. And, it is not possible to achieve these elements through any other means. That is why, everywhere, there is so much discussion and criticism about the methods and processes of receiving and distributing education.
The talented part of the adolescent and youth society is the students, who are called the future of the nation. The mindset that is created in them from the knowledge and wisdom acquired through education becomes the real guide of the individual and the nation. In addition to the curriculum of the school, it is desirable that the external environment must also be favorable, which includes the attitudes and aptitudes of guardians and representatives of local civil society, nationally followed ethics and morals, etc. The behavior of teachers outside of teaching can also play an important role in this. That is, an all-round environment can move the student towards the expected goal. If this is disrupted, dangers may create barriers in every step of the way. The concerned authorities must have thought or will think deeply about this issue. Our current topic of discussion is to formulate a basic idea of how much the culture that has been developed through the use of online technology can be helpful or hindering for the benefit of future generations, that is, for the overall development of human society. Our children will definitely be adept at using technology; but there is a time and a limit to this. Education that takes people out of their human qualities cannot be desirable to anyone. I think it is difficult to find a guardian who does not have mental and financial problems with the excessive use of mobile phones or laptops while studying in schools and colleges.
In the unfortunate situation of the attack of a deadly virus called Covid-19, guardians and parents are forced to hand over mobile phones to school students under the instructions of the responsible authorities. At the moment of handing over the mobile phone, some positive and negative questions arise in the mind of every parent. Positive questions or hopeful thoughts included the continuous progress of the education of the son or daughter, freedom from inattention, freedom from bad company and chatter, and not spending time outside, staying away from watching television and other media films at home, not quarreling, etc. And negative questions or troublesome thoughts included raising the necessary funds to purchase a mobile set that can run online classes, the possibility of the mobile set being sustainable, providing continuous internet expenses and ensuring free internet connection, arranging the study rooms of the son or daughter, creating an environment where classes can be held in a noise-free environment, etc. Of course, behind all these, the foremost active thought was health safety.
The panic of Covid-19 has ended and the situation has returned to normal a long time ago. But the abnormal situation in one place has not only remained, but has also expanded and taken on a complex shape; that is the unwanted and excessive use of mobile phones. I have asked countless parents, both personally and in private: ‘What are the main problems you face with your school or college going children’? Almost everyone's answer is the same - they can't get their children away from mobile phones or electronic devices. If a boy or girl is at home, then they have a mobile phone with them! They also have a strong argument - various information is communicated from the educational institution through messages or WhatsApp or they are asked to collect a special reading material from the Internet. The educational institution that has completely banned the use of mobile phones by students has also formed WhatsApp groups for students! Some tutors also do this. They spend hours in a corner of the house with their mobile phones. They often forget even about breakfast and bath; their daily routine is roughly kept in order for the welfare and repeated urging of helpless parents.
Thus, in many cases, normal family relationships are losing strength, the hopes and dreams of parents are fading away. Sometimes children and parents quarrel over the cost of the Internet connections. Along with the deterioration of family relationships, interpersonal relationships are also facing many questions. A parent told me that when a relative came home, when I asked my kid to pay his respects and exchange greetings as per tradition, he replied that he had only spoken to the relative on messenger yesterday, and now he cannot get up because he is busy with an important matter on his mobile! Not only in the family, but the way friends chat has also changed a lot. Everyone has a mobile in their hands, they are sitting together but there is no conversation. Everyone is grumbling in their own minds from time to time!
But in reality, what was extremely important was to free the students from dependence on the Internet as much as possible and attract them to nature, environment, society, etc., through which education becomes sustainable and, above all, the student can find a target to collect all the elements to consider himself as an independent person. I respect the technical education of students a lot - they will be scientific minded, inquisitive, will know new information, see, verify, and understand the necessary issues for the rest of their lives. Therefore, it is also an urgent duty to determine the appropriate time for such practice. I think that they should be kept out of online education at least until the secondary level.
In our country, from childhood, the random use of mobile phones is observed in children's eating and drinking, joy and entertainment, laughter and tears and so on. The once melodious lullabies, poems, rhymes, and stories that used to bring joy to children have disappeared and become outdated. Working parents try to be somewhat sure by giving mobile phones to their children, although this causes various physical and mental problems in the child. The problem is not limited to Bangladesh, it is a global problem. According to UNICEF, ‘one in three internet users in the world is a child. Every day 1,75,000 children (2 people per second) are connected to the internet. .. A student spends six to eight hours or more on this task every day’. The tradition of sitting together and eating food with the whole family is almost extinct today. The situation has become like issuing a notification to know everyone's opinion in family decision-making. No one in the family is outside the house, yet they do not sit face to face.
It can be said with deep confidence that the use of online technology is changing our entire social structure. The young generation of this era does not want to understand the current sociality. They are creating their own views by looking at the internet, and one person's views do not match another. AI and ChatGPT associated with Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp have completely destroyed the self-examination of students.
The visible harms of online addiction create some mental problems which include the self-centeredness of a boy or girl, roughness, loneliness, lack of ability to adapt to different environments, intolerance, restlessness, etc. What seems most terrible to me is the destruction of the creativity of the leaders of the future society, because they are confined in a very small room. By trying to fit the world into their hands, they are becoming trapped in their own palms. Words such as conscience, humanity, compassion, kindness, responsibility are disappearing from their dictionary.
However, the noble purpose with which online education was introduced has pushed students today towards a goalless addiction, towards uncertainty- it can be said with emphasis. It is especially necessary to conduct an intensive participatory research on the issue, so that the nature, prevalence, causes, types, results and possible solutions to the problem can be revealed. But first of all, it is necessary to acknowledge it as a problem, to take it into account. I hear in various discussions that it is necessary for parents to be vigilant. But the situation has largely gone beyond the control of parents. Taking initiatives to formulate and implement a national action plan on this issue has emerged as a special demand of the time. Otherwise, the silent cry of parents may one day take an extreme form, and its impact is very likely to be national and international.
Babul Chandra Sutradhar is a
human rights activist
and a researcher.
