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Shiv Sena leader thinks civic school students need to be alerted for ‘Pokemon Go’.
Shiv Sena leader wants BMC schools to hold awareness sessions against the dangers of playing Pokemon Go.
It is fairly common for new fads to be wildly popular among school going children. The past is littered with examples of children going crazy over smart phone games like Angry Birds, Subway Surfer etc. and playstation games before these and other game characters from time to time. However, the Pokemon Go storm is a different phenomenon altogether.
So much so that it has actually caught the attention of the Shiv Sena, the ruling party in the BMC at a time when it should be focussing on crater sized potholes on Mumbai roads.
Trushna Vishwasrao, Sena leader in the BMC, wrote to municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta criticizing Pokemon Go— a location-based reality smartphone game. The minister demanded that informative sessions be conducted in BMC schools to educate students about the 'dangers' associated with the game.
"The popularity of the game Pokemon Go can be seen among everyone. While playing this game, people are putting their own and other's lives in danger to trying and catch the Pokemon. There are high chances of a mishap taking place at such times," Vishwasrao has said in her letter.
Due to the nature of the game play, the game does not begin until the player starts moving. While moving from one place to another young ones completely focus on the screen and lose track of their surroundings. The leader emphasised on informing the BMC students about what can happen while one is playing the game without being aware of the surroundings. Vishwasrao wants this to be initiated in all schools across the city but wants the BMC to at least start in its schools first.
Meanwhile, private schools in the city are already taking measures to create awareness about the game. "We do not want to give it undue attention but we also want students to know there could be a problem if they get addicted to the game. Teachers have been talking about it in morning assemblies and have told parents to speak to their children," said Chandrakanta Pathak, principal, HVB Global Academy, Marine Drive. Similarly, at Jamnabai Narsee School, Juhu, the issue will be integrated in value education classes.
Principals feel there is a need to speak to the children but with caution. "We are looking for the right resource person to speak to the children about the game. It must be addressed at a large scale so that many students can benefit from it," said Father Francis Swamy, principal, St Mary's ICSE, Mazgaon.