In accordance to a directive issued by the Ministry of Human Resource Development which stated that schools of any medium cannot give homework to students of standard of I and II, while on one hand some schools in the State capital don’t give much homework some others burden the children with too much of it.

“My son goes to St Mary’s School and is in class II. There is no doubt that the school is very nice but the syllabus is very tough for such a small child and there is too much pressure. Before the exams, tests are conducted on a regular basis and homework is also given daily. There are as many as 10 subjects taught in class I including social studies, general knowledge and computers,” said a mother on the condition of anonymity.

Delhi Public School Principal Dr Ram Singh totally supports the directive issued by the Ministry. “Children of this age should be taught using tools and playing games instead of burdening them with homework. Emphasis should also be given on teaching through playful experiments, which will also help forming a strong base for the child. As far as the weight of the school bag is concerned, there is a scheme of removing books and introducing tablets. The school has to maintain uniformity and this will only be only be possible if all the parents agree to it,”

“There are many schools in Ranchi, which don’t give any homework while some others do not follow the same. Before the beginning of the next academic session, an awareness drive will be conducted for the parents. Giving homework to small children is a very serious matter and the All School Parents Association will ensure that all the schools follows this directive and also implements this at the earliest,” said Ajay Roy, National General Secretary, Federation of Parent’s Association.

Former Chairperson Jharkhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (JSCPCR), Aarti Kujur said that the directive issued states that students of class I and II should be taught using easy learning techniques and not burden them with books. “Efforts need to be made to develop the child’s interest in a subject.

 This is very good step taken by the Ministry and this will help in decreasing the undue pressure on the child. This needs to get implemented in the State at the earliest.”

“My son goes to St Xavier’s School and is presently is class III. Even in standard III, he still does not get much homework. In class I and II, he would seldom get any homework. The school gives holiday homework which includes writing a certain number pages which is in a way is acceptable as it helps in the child busy during the month long break,” said Brinda.

Bridgeford School Principal Seema Chitlangia is of the opinion that the homework given should be such that the child is able to complete in 30 minutes.

“Children need not be burdened with it. With so much influence of digital media and phones, this will also ensure that parents spend some quality time with the child which is very crucial at this age,” she said.