Homework is for knowledge/ stress??!!

Homework adds to stress, not knowledge

Children already burdened by tuition classes take help of parents to complete fancy projects

Pallavi Smart l Mumbai

If there is something children dread doing once they return home from school, it is homework. What was earlier supposed to be a breezy one-hour revision of what one learnt in the classroom has now become a stress-inducing exercise.     It is difficult, if not impossible, for children to complete their homework without taking assistance from parents. Today’s homework is no longer about answering a few questions or solving arithmetic problems. It involves worksheets, presentations, projects and other fancy detailing which is part of surprise tests under the continuous comprehensive evaluation system. Add tuitions and extra-curricular activities to the picture and you get an idea of the rising stress levels among children. It is therefore important for schools to make homework as interesting as possible. “Homework is an integral part of our education system. But it has to be done in a scheduled pattern so that it does not stress kids. Teachers should not just assign homework and forget about it. They should find out how much the student has understood,” said CR Pathak, principal, HVB Academy at Churchgate. BSK Raju, principal of Atomic Energy school, Chembur, agrees. “Homework should be based on what the child has learnt in the classroom. This will help in revision and understanding concepts,” he said.      Experts said parents should not burden their children with too many classes either. “Children have homework from school and also from tuition classes. They are involved in several extra-curricular activities too. Parents have become very demanding these days. They not only want their wards to excel in academics, but also do well in extra-curricular activities,” Pathak said.     Parents argue that it is essential for them to help their children. “Homework includes projects on big topics which children cannot manage on their own. In my daughter’s school, there have been cases of projects done by parents. Those were obviously better than what my daughter did. Therefore, it was imperative for me to step in and ensure that my daughter’s project is also good,” said Andheri resident Manasi Chavan whose daughter studies in standard V. She denies that parents only focus on a child’s extra-curricular activities.     “We do not stress about it, but academics is very important,” she said. Nita Mehta, clinical psychologist at the New Horizons Child Development Centre, said parents should get involved in homework only up to a point. “Instead of taking over the project, parents must identify what their child is good at. They should help their children present the project in such a way that their skills are visible,” she said.      To counter stress, schools are now being sensitive to children. “We have decided that homework will be restricted to one subject a day till standard V. For secondary classes, it will be two subjects per day. This not only reduces pressure, but also gives children the time to understand the subject. Also, the homework assigned is such that the children enjoy doing it,” said Pathak. Mehta says with the Right to Education Act (RTE) now in place, there are bound to be surprise internal tests and children must be prepared for it. Pathak said RTE has in fact reduced the burden of homework among students.

Published Date:  Jul 16, 2012        Courtesy (visited 18.7,12)

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