Do away with bookish learning: Students

Updated on: Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Kolkata: Burdened with heavy books and a heavier work schedule, students of a number of city schools feel that authorities should lighten workload and create time in the curriculum to teach skills that’ll come in handy once students pass out and are ready for adult life.

Tanisha Singh, Class IX student of Carmel High School, says, “Most Indian schools ignore the responsibility of moulding a student’s character and making him ready for real-life situations. Finishing the syllabus gets priority irrespective of whether the student has understood chapters done in class.”

This emphasis on books and rote learning has made examinations the most important aspect of Indian education. “It is unfortunate that the essence of education is gradually evaporating from our academic system. It has become completely exam-oriented with students only aiming for higher grades. Also, the syllabus prescribed by the boards is mechanical and demands text-based answers,” says Tathagata Ganguly who studies in St Xavier’s Collegiate School.

Some feel that it is high time Indian schools start following trends of Western schools. Jit Gupta, a student of Don Bosco School says, “While children in the West get to choose their subjects and are allowed to follow their interests from an early age, we are expected to master text-based learning, scarcely putting importance on our other interests.”

However, not everyone feels that the situation in Indian schools needs improvement. Feels Kaustav Chakraborty, a Class XI student of Ballygunge Govt School, “Education in Indian schools have undergone a radical change. Today attempts are being made to relate books with real life. Also we are encouraged to pursue other creative forms of art be it singing, dancing or even creative writing. Frequent workshops are conducted in many schools which expose students to new things, mostly non-academic.”

D K Bhattacharya, principal of MC Kejriwal Vidyapeeth, says, “I don’t feel that too much of emphasis is put on bookish knowledge in our schools. The syllabus has been modified and it has been designed in such a way that practical skills are encouraged. With the emphasis on laboratory and application of computers, the entire concept has changed. It wasn’t this way before.

Do away with bookish learning: Students

More Education news