The district of Kannur in Kerala launched a new initiative, ‘Satyameva Jayate’, in the month of July that focuses on training schoolchildren to successfully identify fake news and other kinds of false information that they may come across online.
The Collector of Kannur, Mir Mohammed Ali, who came up with the idea for the programme, realised the need for logical awareness in the general public. “There is a need to invest in truth, even if it means taking sides,” Ali says, adding, “Today’s generation has not known a life before the internet. So, it’s important to teach them how it works. Once they know that, it would be relatively easy for them to be sceptical online.”
The initiative has been launched for students from classes 8 to 11, across 150 government schools. Essentially the programme aims to inculcate “the spirit of Article 51 (A) (h) of the Constitution, which aims ‘to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform’ in children” in the nascent stage of their development while also “upholding the national motto of Satyameva Jayate (truth alone triumphs)”, says Ali.
He recounts the time the measles-rubella vaccination rate in Kannur district jumped from roughly 20 per cent to almost 70 per cent in just a few months after an awareness campaign.
At the crux of the initiative against fake news is the idea to “start a conversation” with the children, and then on a larger scale, with parents and adults in society. Over the years, the district’s administration has had to deal with a variety of false information that went viral. There was rumour mongering about the Nipah virus outbreak earlier this year and the measles-rubella vaccination campaign in the district, which had to cope with viral false messages on WhatsApp.
For the past few weeks with the Kerala floods, there have been rumours of holidays and statewide bandhs making the rounds. Other fake news about child kidnappings, transmission of the Nipah virus through chickens and even a three-headed snake have caused widespread nuisance in the district.
The initiative against fake news was conducted on June 13 with a one-day training programme for 150 teachers. One teacher each was identified from a government school to be a part of this initiative. After the training, the teachers were supposed to go back to their schools and pass on what they had learned to the students in a one-hour class on how to spot false news and information, the lure of sensational news and understanding ‘clickbait’ while also trying to inculcate the ‘filter bubble’ approach in children.
If the first phase of the programme, which will last for three months, is successful, it will be extended to parent-teacher associations across all the 150 schools and go on to add another 600 schools under its belt.
The training mainly focuses on learning how to identify fake news and how to verify the news and information received and to look for credible sources of information. The teachers also seem to recommended cautiously, verifying sources on their own.
According to the collector of Kannur, it is important to teach children that propagation of fake news is basically helping “empower a crook” with those who fall prey to clickbait becoming “labourers in their cause”.
The procedure laid down in the programme clearly states three relatively easy ways to deal with fake news and information. The first step would be to check the source. The next step is to ask the senders to provide evidence of the sources and the third step is if the person does not know the source, then it is important to ask them to find out and post it only with the source.
The programme is in its first phase and is being refined as it has been progressing in the schools while also taking into account children’s critical and logical aptitudes. The need to verify the information one receives is what the classes essentially aim to do. “We are also in talks with websites such as Check4spam.com, which help check information on various social media platforms, to collaborate with us for future classes,” Ali said.
Since the teachers use smartphones and the internet for verifying information with credible sources, there is a fear that the training might end up as just another forgettable lecture for students who do not have access to these facilities. Therefore, the teachers are doing exercises in classes to ensure that the students practice caution even outside classes.
The teachers also emphasise the consequences of reckless sharing or forwarding of messages, giving children real-world analogies and even take their students through a trail of recent instances of misinformation in these classes.
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Popular social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook are flooded with misinformation and rumours that have essentially disturbed the belief in traditional sources of information, often with extreme consequences such as mob lynching.
There are some obvious limitations like the access to smartphones and internet. And real-time practice in the right ways of verifying information online is crucial for the classes to be effective. The schools in Kannur district claim to be equipped with computer labs where the children can practice verifying information online. And the Kannur district administration is determined that its schoolchildren learn the right lessons in time.
The Kannur district administration's initiative against fake news has been lauded for its unique efforts to spread awareness. And to make sure that the lessons are not forgotten, the training practice exercises continue to keep the children sharp.