By: Ahmad Shabir
Srinagar: Even as the Jammu and Kashmir awaits the implementation of New Education Policy 2020 framed by NCERT (National Council for Educational Research and Training) prescribing only three subjects up to class 2nd and four subjects from class 3rd to 5th, the private schools in Kashmir continue to stress the kids by teaching them eight to ten subjects.
The two states that have implemented the NEP 2020 include Karnatka and Madya Predesh. Uttar Pradesh would also implement the policy by this year in a phased manner.
The policy prescribes no homework up to class 2nd. Besides NEP 2020 prescribes only two languages and Mathematics for the students up to grade 2nd.
For classes from 3rd to 5th, the NCERT prescribes only two languages, Mathematics and Environmental Science.
For the said classes, the new policy prescribes only two hour homework for students a week.
The NCERT under the new policy, however, prescribes one hour homework a day for the classes from 6th to 8th.
For the said classes, the subjects prescribed under the new policy include three languages, Maths, General and Social Science.
According to the new policy, the subjects like Computer, General Knowledge and Moral Education need to be infused across subject areas and other activities in the school without additional books.
The policy also stresses on the health, physical education and sports and Art which completely lacking in most of the private schools of the valley.
“Health , physical education and Arts education are the areas which help in all-round development of the children. These need to be given adequate space in the school timetable. However children should not be allowed to carry any textbooks for this area,” the policy says.
The new policy terms the homework an issue which makes both students and parents stressed because as a general practice it needs to be completed by night and reported in the school next morning.
“This practice not only snatches play time of the children but parents’ quality time as well,” the NEP days.
The school bag policy 2020 framed by the J&K government had also made almost similar recommendations but the policy was never implemented on ground.
Though the NCERT team has begun the process of seeking feedback in Kashmir over national curriculum framework (NCF) and authorities announcing that the NEP will be implemented from current academic session, however, the officials and parents concerned over the burden of unnecessary books on children remain apprehensive about the policy being implemented by the private schools of the valley.
“We have seen many policies having been framed by the state government from time to time but the powerful private school owners never gave any heed. Most of these schools have nexus with with leading publications and for their monetary benefits they snatch the childhood from our children assigning them atleast ten books even in primary classes,” an official of the Education Department said.