Less pressure, more learning: Indian schools’ transformation leaves parents happy, thankful

“Recently, my partner and I were joking about how our shoulder pain and backache might have started because of the heavy school bags we used to carry. My 10-year-old was confused and he asked us ‘why was your bag so heavy’, and that is when I realised how far we have come in our schooling system,” says the mother of the child going to a school in Delhi.

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According to reports, the Uttar Pradesh government is set to decrease the number of teaching hours and bring it down to nearly 30 hours of teaching in a week, for which classes will be conducted between 5 to 5.5 hours from Monday to Friday. The reports say the rest of the schooling hours will be devoted to teaching real-life skills to children.

Some experts believe that while such a reduction in teaching hours may prove beneficial for a certain group of students, a one-size-fits-all approach might not cater to the needs of every student. “Shorter teaching hours might encourage educators to prioritise a deeper understanding of concepts over rote memorisation. This shift could lead to a more meaningful and effective learning experience. However, students have diverse learning styles, and some may benefit from more traditional, structured teaching methods,” says Prof (Dr) Gauri Bhasin, executive director (learning & development), Manav Rachna Educational Institutions.

“Finding the right balance in imparting education is a complex task. It’s essential to consider the diverse needs of students, educational goals, and a broader societal context. Continuous evaluation, research, and feedback from educators, students, and stakeholders are crucial to refining and improving educational policies and practices,” adds Bhasin.

However, parents do believe that moving away from the traditional methods of teaching might benefit their children, especially in the modern world where the emotional quotient is given more weightage.

“Parents are under a lot of pressure now as many of them are usually battling their own work-life balance issues. On top of it, parents are expected to (and like to) stay more involved in kids’ extracurricular activities these days, which adds to their pressure. This sometimes translates to the frustration of ‘Why should I teach everything to my kid?’. So, it helps when schools take the initiative of enhancing not just the intelligence but also the emotional quotient of kids these days,” says Shreya Bareja, whose son attends G D Goenka School in New Delhi.

While parents believe that the change is essential for the future, teachers believe that this became necessary in the post-Covid world. Experts believe that the Covid-19 pandemic took a toll on the mental as well as the physical health of the students. Behavioural and emotional changes were seen in the students in the form of anxiety and depression. Fear of loss of relatives, not meeting friends, and unable to carry out routine tasks impacted their mental health.

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“The mental health of the students can be strengthened by integrating yoga into the curriculum, having a dedicated student counsellor at the branch to take care of their issues, and having regular counselling sessions with students. Post Covid, students did lose their social skills, and addiction to the internet did impact their mental health. Spending quality time at school will definitely improve their general well-being,” said Sakina Qasim Zaidi, VP (academics) at The Orchids International School, Bengaluru.

Agreeing with this, some parents also believe that the importance of schools was highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic when all classes shifted to online learning and students had to majorly rely on their versions of the understanding of the curriculum or take help from their parents – who were out of touch with the whole curriculum. While the pandemic brought a change in the attitude and thought process of schools, it made parents understand the reasoning behind the importance of the traditional education system mixed with the modern way.

“I noticed a drastic drop in academic outcomes during Covid-19 and once we got back to school, academic outcomes and mental health improved. As a society (including children), we have a newfound appreciation for the school and classroom as a learning space. Children have also started having more conversations around public health, their responsibilities as citizens, and are more aware of these issues in general,” says Kartik Varma, whose children attend Chaman Bhartiya School, Bengaluru.