I4C-MHA, CBSE Launch Nationwide School Cyber Awareness Initiative

NEW DELHI: The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), has launched a nationwide initiative to promote cyber safety and cyber hygiene in schools.

The CBSE has issued an advisory to all its affiliated schools to promote cyber safety by introducing structured cyber awareness activities for students, teachers, and parents.

The move comes as children and teenagers are spending more time online than ever before. While the internet has opened a slew of opportunities for learning and communication, it has exposed the young users to a growing range of cyber threats, including cyberbullying, online grooming, identity theft, social media misuse, gaming-related risks and financial frauds.

The schools and children can effectively carry the message of cybercrime prevention to their parents and families.

I4C has developed a range of educational resources and engagement activities that schools can use to build safer digital habits among their communities, a circular issued by the CBSE said.

As part of the initiative, schools are provided the flexibility to carry out various activities to enhance awareness and engagement of users. Some of these activities include:

• Cyber Hygiene Certificate Course: I4C has created a 2.5-hour cyber hygiene certificate course for students, teachers and parents, available on the home page of I4C website https://i4c.mha.gov.in
• Cyber Safety Pledge: Schools may circulate a Cyber Safety Pledge among students for signature by parents and submission to the school. The pledge may focus on safe online practices, responsible social media use and cyber hygiene.
• Display of Cyber Awareness Advisory on Parent Portals: A cybercrime awareness comic book for children, prepared by the Ministry of Home Affairs  (MHA) can be downloaded and read at https://i4c.mha.gov.in/awareness.aspx under cybercrime awareness printable material.
• To stay safe online, all parents and students should follow the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Social Media Handle “CYBERDOST” on any prominent social media platform.
• Students and parents may download and play the Cyber Awareness “Snake & Ladder” game linked to the homepage of website https://i4c.mha.gov.in
• Formation of Cyber Clubs: Schools are advised to establish Cyber Clubs to conduct structured cyber awareness activities regularly.
• Schools may organize monthly activities such as speeches, quizzes, poster-making competitions, pledge drives, debates, and awareness sessions on the first Wednesday of every month observed as “Cyber Jagrookta Diwas”
• Integration with School Activities: Schools may further integrate cyber awareness activities into annual events, parent, teacher interactions, and special campaigns for wider outreach.
• Dissemination of IEC Material: Schools are encouraged to widely disseminate cyber safety advisories, posters, videos, booklets, and multilingual IEC material developed by I4C through school websites, social media platforms, digital notice boards, mobile applications, newsletters, and other communication channels. All these materials  are  freely  available  on  the  I4C  Website on https://i4c.mha.gov.in/awareness.aspx

“The fight against cybercrime cannot be won through enforcement alone. Awareness is our strongest preventive tool. By reaching students, teachers and parents through schools, we are creating a culture of cyber safety that can help protect families and communities from emerging online threats,” Nishant Kumar, Director, I4C, Ministry of Home Affairs, said.

The initiative encourages students, teachers and parents to access a wide range of cyber awareness resources on the I4C platform, including educational material, awareness campaigns and interactive learning tools.

The programme is about embedding cyber awareness in the school ecosystems to equip millions of students and families with knowledge and skills they need to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly.