Projects, homework bog down children this festive season

Schools have been swamping students with project work, assignments and tests, children are giving festivities a miss to finish their homework. With projects keeping them busy, students and parents have lost the holiday excitement.

Parents and educationists blame the system of Continous Compulsory Evaluation (CCE), which has encouraged schools to give ‘holiday homework’. “The government introduced CCE to reduce stress but students are now facing a different kind of pressure. Even during holidays, children are forced to complete several assignments for school. They are losing interest in studies,” said Jayant Jain, president Forum for Fairness in Education.

A parent whose children are in Canossa School, Andheri, said, “Children are given all sorts of personal and group projects during vacations from class five onwards on various subjects. It’s us parents who ended up doing these projects.”

At Indian Education Soceity’s (IES) Manik Vidya Mandir, Bandra, the last week of the year will be spent revising the syllabus. “IES schools have never had Christmas vacation. We have regular school days and students will be studying for tests,” said Shubhada Vinekar, principal. However, the school has organised cultural events for the festive season. “ Students should not feel pressured, especially when others are holidaying,” she said.

However, according to Nitya Ramaswami, head of child development and academics at Zee Schools, holiday homework helps children remain active. “The idea of holiday homework originates from the concept that children should be occupied fruitfully and constructively. The homework should consist of simple activities and collaborative work with the parents.

However, it’s more of a burden than fun for children,” she said. Dr Seema Hingorani, a psychologist, said, “Even if a family takes a small vacation, children end up doing homework or preparing for the next term.”