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Vashi2Panvel.Com: Navi Mumbai: September 11:“All work, no play makes Jack a dull boy,” the adage holds not much relevance in the present education curriculum of our country. Gone are the days when the students used to spend quality time in all the activities of their life right from studies to sports. However with the changing scenario the workload on the students have gone up drastically. The performance pressure has build up to such an extent that the child hardly gets enough time to rejoice and do leisure work. The time, which they spend in school, is not enough to complete the lengthy syllabus on time. As a result, they get burdened with loads of homework by the school and completion of this consumes all their spare time.


“Our education system in India demands that the student learns more of the theory than practical, though with the changing systems the practicality is gaining importance but this will take time,” says Madhu Ahuja, a New Panvel resident whose ward is a 4th class student in D.A.V.school, New Panvel. “The home work is important to some extent but it should be within the capability of the child, overburdening is not recommended,” she avers. There are other parents, who feel that ample homework should be given, which keeps the child busy and make him / her learn how to perform under pressure. “The child should be made accustomed to a sincere and systematic approach towards the work, this can be done through making them do a regular work,” says Shankar Tikekar, a CBD resident who works with Ispat Industries.

The teachers being on the other side of the pavilion treat the issue quite differently. “Though we do not encourage the policy that the students should be over burdened with the homework but still sometimes the parents force us to give homework to the kids, they feel that if the kids do not have anything to work upon at home, they will not be able to perform better,” opines Lata Pawar, principal, Good Shepherd School. “I, personally feel that the students in the preprimary section should not be given any homework while little homework for the primary section students is not much of a burden for them,” she adds.

The teachers unanimously feel that the students are mostly given that much homework, which helps them to revise the syllabus, covered in the school on that particular day. “The school and board sees to it that the students are not pressured much so that they can easily divide time in other important practical learnings of the life, the infield learning of the students is also quite vital in a child’s growth,” explicates Priya Sood, the teacher-in-charge of D.A.V., New Panvel. On comparing the homework system in the foreign countries and ours, teachers feel that the situation in the countries compared is quite different so they are incomparable. “The literacy rate is quite high there so students learn a lot from their society while here many students come from vernacular medium that they have to work at home also to be at par with their classmates,” elucidates Neeru Dutta, St. Joseph High School.

The times are changing, the requirements are different, and the debate is on going. The important concern here is to not make Jack a dull boy rather makes him confident in all aspects of life.

Smriti Mishra