MUMBAI: A day after the Union human resource development (HRD) ministry prescribed that schools should not assign homework to Class 1 and 2 students, city school teachers claimed that homework isn’t just about writing or mugging up but enhancing the creative side of children and improving their thinking ability.
After looking into the type of homework students are assigned, it was found that it encompasses activities that are carried out at home or with one’s parents or with grandparents; drawing everyday objects; asking certain questions; slaking their curiosity; watching educational programmes on TV, among other things. According to teachers, these activities aren’t a burden but a means to better the development of the child.
Kalpana Diwedi, principal of St. Joseph’s High School, Panvel, feels that homework is often confused with completing lessons or studying hard. “Class 1 and 2 students are too small to do homework and, hence, following the circular that was issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) years ago, we have stopped giving students homework. Instead, we give them small activities, which they carry out with the help of their parents. Adding to this, we sometimes conduct class activities for them before or during school hours,” said Ms Diwedi.
A Goregoan-based state board schoolteacher and principal said her students are given tasks that are basic in nature for their development. “The tasks include having a conversation with their parents, guardian, grandparents, friends or family members about a random topic. The following day, students will be asked to share in the classroom what they had discussed. We generally do such tasks in every third week, which helps them better their communication skills, reduce social anxiety, and build better understanding with family, friends and even teachers,” she said.
Several schools in the city assign activities such as watching a specific cartoon, educational programme that aid in examining their perspective.
