By: Afaq Bhat
Srinagar: A six-year old girl making an appeal to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to lighten the burden of homework on the toddlers evoked a prompt response from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Reacting to the video recorded by the toddler that went viral on social media LG Sinha tweeted: “Very adorable complaint, have directed the School Education Department to come out with a policy within 48 hours to lighten the burden of homework on school kids.”
The toddler in a video is heard complaining about the load that is being put over kids through Zoom online classes. “So much homework is given to elders, not to kids like us. My classes start in the morning and end in the afternoon. Modi sahib, madams and sirs give homework also. I want to ask why so much homework is given to us,” the toddler is heard saying.
Soon after the video appeared on social networking sites, it went viral and triggered a debate about kids being overburdened on the name of online classes. Many parents took to social media to highlight the plight of their kids, who have to remain glued to smartphones from morning till afternoon.
“Message of a 6-year old girl has shaken everyone. She has drawn home a point that children are losing their childhood amidst pandemic and it needs to be preserved and safeguarded,” said an observer.
He said that the Lieutenant Governor has already directed the Education Department to come up with a new policy for toddlers within 48-hours. “The department while coming up with the news policy should bear in mind that toddlers need time to play and the timetable should be devised in such a way that enough activities are planned to keep children busy. One cannot expect the kids to remain glued to mobile phones and books for a long time. They need to be given enough time to take a break,” the observer said.
He said, “Holding online quizzes, music classes, art and craft activities can make these zoom classes interesting for the toddlers. Just passing homework to them is no solution. One hopes that the Education department will keep all these things in mind and relieve the innocent toddlers from the burden that has been put on them.”
“Delhi Public School Srinagar has been imparting online education to students from the day one but the institution has incorporated many activities in the time table. Other schools should take a cue and come up with such a format to ensure that children don’t get bored or over-burdened,” said a parent.
