When school turned into Psy-ber Pathshala

The Upper Primary School of Piparsand in Sarojninagar on the outskirts of the city witnessed a unique initiative to spread digital literacy -- Psy-ber Pathshala. The participants were not only students, but also youth, women, men, and senior citizens.

The topic covered ranged from 'identifying and avoiding fake/phishing links received on mobile phones'; 'protection against fraudsters posing as bank representatives and demanding OTPs or personal information', 'recognising fake investment schemes and online financial scams; dangers of APK files shared via WhatsApp that can lead to phone hacking and data theft; 'how to lock Aadhaar-linked biometric (fingerprint) data to prevent misuse and overall awareness about digital arrest scams, a rapidly growing threat.

Participants at the workshop initiated by Psynaree Welfare Foundation, in collaboration with RT Cyber Academy, were informed about the Cyber Crime Helpline 1930 and emergency services 112, urging them to report any cyber fraud immediately. They were also guided on how to use the Sanchar Saathi portal to block lost or stolen mobile devices, preventing further misuse. Psynaree volunteers Ayesha Kamal, Aanchal Yadav, Shreyansh Kumar, Daya Shankar Nigam, Amolika Srivastava, Simran Rai and Agrima Srivastava were the key resources at the workshop.

At the conclusion of the workshop, participants took a collective pledge to remain vigilant about cyber safety and to actively spread awareness within their own families and communities — multiplying the impact of the initiative far beyond the workshop venue.

"As internet penetration deepens across India, rural communities are increasingly vulnerable to cyber fraud — yet they remain the most underserved by awareness initiatives. Psy-ber Pathshala was conceived to address this urgent need — taking cyber safety education directly to the grassroots," said Prof Manini Srivastava or Lucknow University's psychology dept.