Maharashtra: Despite CM Eknath Shinde snub, schools find merit in ‘no-homework’

While Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has struck down state Education Minister Deepak Kesarkarrsquos suggestion to announce lsquono homeworkrsquo for school students the proposal has received support and applause from several private schools and academicians Swati Popat Vats founder director of Podar Jumbo Kids told midday ldquoItrsquos a good comment coming from the education minister and I hope this will have an impactrdquo What he said is absolutely right the kind of homework that schools have been giving is more of a drill exercise which ends up boring the children and does not help them learnrdquo Swati Vats addedAlso read Mumbai 11 per cent of teaching posts at BMC schools vacantAn expert said the burden of homework often takes a toll on the health of students apart from taking away from their time to interact with others or play Representation picKesarkar last Friday said the state government was contemplating doing away with homework for all schoolgoing children especially for those in Std IIV ldquoStudents should not be overburdened It is critical to ensure their brain development Furthermore the government believes that homework should not be an easy way out for teachers Instead a teacher should focus on hisher class in a way that students do not need to rely on homeworkrdquo Kesarkar had said in PuneThe minister however clarified that this was just a suggestion and needed to be discussed with the CM and stakeholders in the education sector ldquoThe proposal was in its initial stages and I was planning to hold discussions with CM teachersrsquo associations and academicians before drafting a final plan on the implementation of such an orderrdquo Kesarkar saidHowever talking to media persons on Saturday CM Shinde said ldquoThis government is of and for the common people So the government will only take decisions that are in favour of its people whether it is teachers students or others No decision has been made yet to end or ban homework in schools Further the government will not take any decision that will lead to academic loss of studentsrdquoProposal gets praiseTalking to midday Vats said ldquoInstead of homework as we know it what would help the kids is the concept of home play wherein children play with something or do some project where they get to implement what they have learnt For example after teaching students numbers we ask them if they have used this knowledge to count something like biscuits or steps Real life application is how learning is strengthened The ageold concept of assessing knowledge or learning based on number of pages needs to be done away withrdquoSwati Popat Vats founderdirector Podar Jumbo KidsPraising Kesarkarrsquos suggestion Dr Veena Shirvastava campus head of Gopi Birla Memorial School in Walkeshwar said ldquoNowadays whatrsquos happening in many schools is that the teachers are teaching the syllabus but the question and answer part is being given as homework I think this is wrong If the homework is in the form of reflection or research or even a form of revision and selfstudy it would be a good practicerdquoSunayana Awasthi principal of Orchids The International School Mulund said ldquoTeachers and schools profess that homework is an integral part of learning and is for the betterment of students But it can also have other impacts on the students The load of homework leads to sleep deprivation and other health problems such as headaches exhaustion sleep deprivation weight loss and stomach problems It also means less time for friends family and extracurricular pursuits hence keeping them from their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skillsrdquoTeachers not in favourThe education ministerrsquos suggestion however has not gone down well with the teachersrsquo organisations in the state Vijay Kombe secretary of Maharashtra State Primary Teachersrsquo Association said ldquoIt is one thing to expect homework to be interesting and engaging for students while posing no stress on parents but a mandatory rule of no homework is undoubtedly detrimental to pupilsrsquo academic futuresrdquoArundhati Chavan president Parent Teachers Association United ForumSome also feel that if such a policy is implemented it will further widen the learning gap among students who have just started attending physical schools after a gap of two years owing to the pandemic Arundhati Chavan president of Parent Teachers Association United Forum said ldquoHomework cannot be banned totally Students need homework in some form else how will they connect with what is taught in the classroom Homework is important but schools just need to get innovative rather than just making kids write Q and As or repetitive thingsrdquoSushil Shejule coordinator of Marathi Shala Sansthachalak Sangh and a member of Marathi Abhyaas Kendra told midday ldquoThe mere idea of the government thinking about doing away with homework is scary There are many issues that need immediate attention like shortage of teachers condition of schools etc Further while talking about nohomework the education minister had said that the idea is to boost extracurricular activities among students then why is the government not appointing fulltime art and sports teachers How can an education minister just say things in public without consulting experts and understanding the situation on the ground Also what will students from rural areas who do not have access to the internet or basic amenities like electricity do without homeworkrdquo