New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS): In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, at least 78 per cent of Indian parents are unwilling to send their wards to school immediately post lockdown, even if that entails repeating an academic year, a new survey said on Thursday.

The survey conducted by edtech startup SP Robotic Works among 3,600 parents and an equal number of children found that 82-86 per cent of the parents from Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and mini-metros are unwilling to take any risk with their children.

The findings also showed that the sleeping pattern of nearly 50 per cent of the children has been disturbed with 13 per cent having no regular pattern of sleeping.

According to the survey, 67 per cent of the parents think that their child's screen time has gone up by at least 50 per cent during the lockdown. The fear of the pandemic had affected 40 per cent of the children surveyed, causing unaddressed anxiety issues, the report said.

"The current situation has unearthed the immense potential of platforms with experiential and interactive learning which engage children in practical tasks and logical reasoning," Sneha Priya S, Co-Founder and CEO of SP Robotic Works, said in a statement.

The data also revealed that 10 per cent of the children aged between 7-10 want to be entrepreneurs, while the number goes up to 17 per cent in children in the 16-17 age group.

Amongst other dream jobs, STEM continues to dominate the aspirations of young India with 52.5 per cent kids wanting to either be a scientist, technologist, data scientist, or doctor.