A NEW online safety course will be made freely available to pupils and parents across Northern Ireland.
The Digital Proficiency Course launched this week via the region’s Safer Schools NI platform and has been made free for all education settings, pupils and parents to access.
“Our children and young people are engaging daily with technology, social media, and digital platforms at increasingly younger ages, and while some of these technologies offer benefits and create opportunities, they also contain potentially harmful risks,” Northern Ireland’s Education Minister Paul Givan said as the new tool launched.
“It is vital that we provide our schools with the resources that can support teachers and education staff to equip children and young people with the skills to navigate the digital and online world,” he added.
“Educating and empowering school communities is key to ensure pupils know how to access support from trusted adults or to report content when it makes them feel unsafe.
Education Minister Paul Givan helped launch the new digital course to help pupils stay safe online“The Safer Schools Digital Proficiency Course has been developed and designed to address this need.”
Schools across the North are now being urged to register for the course.
“This new course is part of the wider response to keeping our children safe online and compliments existing advice, guidance and information on a range of safeguarding issues available on the Safer Schools platform,” Mr Givan explained.
“I am delighted to launch the Digital Proficiency Course, and I would encourage all schools to register and sign up for this free initiative.”
Colin Stitt, Head of Safer Schools, INEQE Safeguarding Group said the new course is as important to young people as they learn to navigate the online world, as the traditional cycling proficiency test was for those learning how to travel safely through the roads network.
“Decades ago, ‘Cycling Proficiency’ taught us to navigate the physical world safely; today, that 'road' has become digital,” Mr Stitt said.
“The Digital Proficiency Course is an age-appropriate, episodic video-based programme based on the five 'Five Cs' of online risk - Content, Contact, Conduct, Commerce, and Cyber Security,” he added.
“This certified course is free to access for parents, carers, pupils and school staff on the Safer Schools NI web and mobile app.”
He explained: “The digital 'road' may have changed, but our collective commitment to safeguarding our children should always remain paramount.
“I urge all schools and families to use these resources to educate, empower and protect our children and young people in the digital world.”
The new Digital Proficiency Course was launched this month during a visit by Mr Givan to Braniel Primary School in Belfast, which is one of 400 schools already pre-registered to take part in the initiative.
The Course will go live tomorrow (February 10) which is the national Safer Internet Day,
Braniel Primary School Principal Niall Manogue said they were "delighted" to be using the course.
“We expect that it will help us identify what our children know and don’t know about staying safe online and provide a structured, age-appropriate resource to help them navigate the online world," he explained.
To register your school or learn more about the Digital Proficiency Course click here.
