School going children are under heavy pressure as they have to spend all day studying to complete huge syllabus.
Children say that they do not get the time even to play as they have to study for long hours work to be able to complete the syllabus.
Khadiza Akhter, a Class I student at the Dhaka Adventist Pre Seminary School at Mirpur said that she seldom got the time to play or spend time with friends.
She said that her day starts at 7 AM and ends at 9 PM.
She said that the entire time is spent either at school or at coaching centre or studying at home.
Children said that as they have to read too many books they have no spare time for extra curricular activities.
Imagine if a student of Class I has to read nine or ten books, said a worried guardian.
Khadiza said that she has to reads 10 books as prescribed by her school.
Sadia Afrin, a Class III student at Monipur High School, said she has to read 10 books.
Anto, a Class III student at Willes Little Flower School has to read 10 books.
A guardian said that the syllabus requires his son, a Class III student at Willes Little Flower School, to study four English books.
Narrating her daily activities to New Age, Khadiza said she attends school from early morning to midday.
She said it takes half an hour to return home. After taking shower and lunch she takes a nap for a while.
She takes lessons from her religious teacher for an hour beginning at 3 PM.
Then it’s time for the tutor on general subjects. Now it’s time to complete her home work.
‘I get no time to watch even the cartoon networks, though once it was my favourite pass time,’ Khadiza said.
Monika also a Class I student at the same school said her experience was no different.
‘We are always under pressure for good results,’ she said.
Sadia Afrin, a Class IV student at Monipur High School said that she seldom got the time to play.
BRAC University associate professor Mahboob Hossain said that he finds it difficult to lift the school bag of his son, who is a student of Class I.
He said that the English medium schools in Bangladesh are very different from the schools in English speaking countries in this regard.
The syllabi don’t put so much pressure on school students in those countries, he said.
‘Our children are becoming individualistic as they get no time to play or for the family members and friends,’ he said.
Psychologists said that the burden on children needs to be reduced to allow them time to play and also for the family and friends.
Guardians want their children to do what they themselves could not accomplish, said Sheikh M. Shahidullah of Dhaka University Psychology department.
It puts the children into unhealthy competition, he said.
The undue pressure is bound to hamper children’s normal development and growth psychical and mental, he said.
‘Children need freedom for a normal growth,’ he said.
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina while inaugurating distribution of free textbooks among school students recently directed the education ministry to lessen the pressure on children by reducing their syllabi.
It seems the directive fell on the deaf ears of the education ministry, said many concerned guardians.
Education secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury said that the authorities were looking into the matter.
‘Obviously, it’s a big concern for every one. We did not have to study so many books in our childhood,’ he said.
Courtesy of New Age
