Schools, Tuitions &Extra-Curricular Activities – Are We Overwhelming The Young Learners?

As per a 2018 Cambridge study, students in India engage in more co-curricular activities and extra classes than their peers across the world. The study further revealed that 2/3rds of Indian students take extra tuition for important subjects after school, 72% take part in co-curricular activities and 74% regularly play sports in school.

Indian students also rank high on the amount of time they spend on completing their homework. While 40% of students regularly spend about 2 to 4 hours on their homework, 37% of students spend the same hours over the weekend as well.

Typically, this is the condition of students whose parents have opted for private education. Public schools are not equipped to provide students with basic education, along with extracurricular activities. But, private schools are expensive and in their quest to prove to parents that they are providing quality education, these schools mistreat school children and hamper their creativity. By pushing children to do more than what they can bear, schools are overwhelming children and snatching away their happiness. In such schools, children are taught to work like machines.

Here are some of the ways that schools in India are burdening the young learners and depriving them of their childhood fun.

Too Much Homework Pressure

Most schools subject children to educational overkill where they are burdened with a lot of homework.

The Review Committee of the Education Ministry had concluded in 1977 that children are turned into prisoners within the four walls of their house by excessive homework. But, this report did not get published and was sidelined. Even today, children continue to be pressurized with the ever-increasing burden of homework. Kids in India struggle with homework right from the time they start going to school. From kindergarten days to the very end of their student life, Indian kids have to slog. They have to spend a minimum of 5 hours in school and then spend an additional 3 hours to finish the homework assigned.

Too much homework pressure is making kids in India extremely dull. They are only concentrating on bettering their academics while failing in everything else. Also, when they are made to work so hard, they lose interest in learning. They develop an aversion towards attending school. Their mind is so overworked after school and homework that they are unable to learn anything else for their overall development.

On the other hand, kids in America and Great Britain are given minimal homework. They are given the freedom to broaden their perspectives and explore.

Obsession of Parents with Marks, Which Leads To Tuition Pressure

Competition, scores and rankings – unfortunately, in a student’s life, these terms are not just related to sports, but the obsession of parents regarding their wards academic achievements.

The problem today is not just schools and homework, but also parents’ expectations. Most parents measure their child’s success and performance on the marks that he/she has obtained. Even the society treats them on the basis of the marks obtained during an examination. Better marks automatically mean better future prospects, and this drives parents to be extra strict and hard on their children. They constantly push their children to achieve better grades. Sometimes this push is motivating, but mostly demoralizing.

Without realizing, parents end up comparing their children with their classmates who are faring well in academics. This ends up putting a lot of pressure on young learners.

Additionally, the unrealistic high expectations of parents regarding academic success results in children attending more multiple tuition classes after school hours. This increases the pressure manifold. Now, children are not only expected to complete their school homework, but also complete the homework that their tuition has assigned. Probably this is the reason why 50% of school students in India are heavily stressed, as per a survey conducted by Schooldudes.com.

School Pressure to Perform In Extracurricular Activities

This may surprise you, but there are a few schools that make extracurricular activities compulsory. This means that even if a child is not interested in taking part in such activities, he/she will have to. Also, by extracurricular activities what most schools offer are sports like, football, basketball, badminton and tennis, music, singing, drama and dancing.

But, the moment that these activities are put under the compulsory category, the fear of performing creeps inside the head of the young learner. The activities are no longer fun, but they are also part of the rat-race.

However, not all schools pressurize students. The scene of Indian education is changing. For instance, the CBSE board allows students to re-appear for their board examinations if they wish to improve their performance in one or more subjects.

There are also many CBSE-based day boarding schoolsin Siliguri like, Modi School, Sri Sri Academy and North Point Residential Schoolhat are making an effort to make student life easier. They are providing facilities like day boarding. Schools with day boarding facilities allow students to spend extra hours within the school premise where they can complete their homework. Also, they can utilize this time to learn new things or to get extra attention from their teachers.

Moreover, schools are no longer restricting extracurricular activities to just sports, drama, singing and dancing. But, introducing robotics, language and nature classes where children can acquire a new skill for their future while being responsible citizens. A lot of schools are also starting the day practicing yoga and meditation so that students can stay free of stress.

So, while there are schools that put pressure on young learners, the responsibility is not of the educational institute alone. Parents also have to be proactive with their search for a good school for their ward. Also, parents need to stop putting additional pressure regarding marks and performance. Children should be allowed to explore their talents and hone their skills apart from just concentrating on their academics.