UNODC launches series of online dialogues with students & educators in India on COVID-19

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) has launched a Lockdown Learners' series of online dialogues with students and educators in India on COVID-19 and its impact on Sustainable Development Goals, peace and rule of law.

The dialogues have been launched by the United Nations body under its flagship Education for Justice initiative.

Through these dialogues, the aim is to sensitise students on concerns of vulnerable groups and emerging issues such as cybercrime, misinformation, gender-based violence, discrimination, corruption among others, the UNODC said in a statement.

The Lockdown Learners series also provides a platform for students to receive mentorship and knowledge support through activity-based learning, and use their talent and skills to promote awareness and share their ideas and solutions to address some of these problems, it said.

Over the last week, educational resources have been shared with partner schools in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, and focused interactions convened with hundreds of students and educators, Samarth Pathak, UNODC's Communications Officer for South Asia, said.

UNODC welcomes schools to join these efforts in creating a positive framework for students to be productive and engaged during this period of lockdown, reduce stress through positive messaging, and empower young people to become champions of tomorrow, he said.

What makes UNODC's educational products particularly noteworthy is their emphasis on values, teaching children to think, and helping them build special empowering skills, the statement said.

"These products include free-to-use educational material, comics, board and online games, The Zorbs cartoon series and other modules and videos that may be used by teachers and students at home to develop an understanding on peace and the rule of law," it added.