Madras High Court bans homework for classes I, II of all boards including CBSE

Madras High Court has asked the Centre to instruct state governments to reduce weight of school children's bags and do away with homework for classes 1 and 2 for all the boards including CBSE and state.

Stating that the children are neither weightlifters nor schoolbags are loaded containers, the court, in its interim order, said that use of National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) books be made mandatory. The state governments were asked to ensure that weight of the satchels shall not be more than 10 per cent of the weight of the child.

Justice N Kirubakaran also asked the CBSE to set up flying squads to inspect schools violating the new directive. Referring to the government orders (GOs) issued by governments of Telangana and Maharashtra, the judge directed the Centre to direct the state governments and governments of Union Territories to formulate a "Children School Bag Policy" reducing the weight of the satchels in line with the guidelines issued by either state.

Justice N Kirubakaran was passing an interim order on a petition from M Purushothaman, an advocate, seeking a direction to CBSE schools to purchase only books published by NCERT and to prescribe syllabus of NCERT.

The judge directed the Centre to instruct the state governments not to prescribe any other subjects except language and mathematics for classes 1 and 2 students and language, EVS and mathematics for classes 3 to 5 students as prescribed by NCERT.

He directed the authorities to prohibit CBSE schools from prescribing any homework for classes 1 and 2 students. He concurred with the submissions of the petitioner-advocate that the CBSE schools are prescribing homework to children of classes 1 and 2 and it was prohibited by NCERT.

With regard to homework, it has been specifically stated in the counter affidavit filed by secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy of Human Resource Development Ministry that "there is no homework up to class 2 and (homework can be given) two hours a week from class 3." Therefore, no school affiliated to CBSE can prescribe or give homework to class 1 and class 2 students.

The judge expressed shock and surprise over teaching grammar and computer science subjects for Class 1 students. "Further teaching of grammar shall not be a subject for children as per NCERT syllabus Vol 1 Elementary level", he said. It is evident that CBSE schools are unnecessarily pressuring the children by teaching "irrelevant" subjects which have not been prescribed by NCERT or by CBSE, the judge said.

The judge also did not miss mentioning about state board schools. In his interim order, he said, "Similar is the case with the state board schools and in other systems. Young children are taxed with homework and unnecessary subjects."

The judge said state board schools too should follow the directions issued by NCERT. The court directed the union government to direct the state governments not to prescribe any homework for class 1 and 2 students in the state board/matriculation/Anglo-Indian schools and not to prescribe any other subjects except language and mathematics for class 1 and 2 students, and language, EVS and mathematics for classes 2 to 5. The judge, issuing the directions, posted the matter after four weeks for a compliance report by the Centre, the state governments and the union territories.