Improving the Lives of School Children – I

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This note is with reference to schoolchildren in India although it may have relevance for children of other countries too. While much has been written about and much needs to be done to improve the quality of school education in India, this note is not about that at all but rather the environment in which this education is delivered, something of equal if not greater importance.

There are at the present time many issues that add misery rather than joy in the lives of school children. These are things like, weight of school bags, quality of food served free or in schools canteens, commuting to schools, behavior of teachers, disproportionate amounts of homework given, lack of play grounds and open environment, noisy school architecture, schedules and timing etc. Rather than covering all of these topics together and losing focus, we shall take these issues one at a time and see what simple changes can be made to remove this distress. Let us begin with annual school schedules.

The attention of this author was drawn to this note due to an order from the district collector today that since this month of May has become very hot, schools should close early at 11.30 am instead of 1 pm to prevent heat strokes that some children were suffering.

The simple question to ask is why schools are open at all in the month of May? Since all schools have annual vacations of around two months, why have the months of May and June, the hottest months in Northern Indian plains, not been chosen for these vacations? Will the schools make this change? No, they may not. If they wished to, they would have done it long ago. Can the government impose this change? Yes it must if it cares to improve the lives of school children and future of the nation. Children that see a better life in their young age go on to become better citizens in future.

A new regulation imposing the following schedule in all schools across the country except for the cooler hill districts needs to be announced.


Annual school examinations –Scheduled between April first to 15th

Interim vacation - until 23rd of April (or the following day if a Sunday or holiday)

Promotion to next class – Between 23rd of April to 31st April

Summer vacations – 1st of May to 1st of July or later if vacations are longer than two months


A link of this note shall be tweeted to the Right Honorable education Minister Mrs. Smriti Irani and Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi for their kind attention. They have been doing much to improve quality of education in the country and will hopefully add this change too. In case it is felt that education is a State subject the schedule can be sent as an advisory to states while imposing the schedule in schools under the center as the example to emulate.


Clipart image source: http://cliparts.co/clipart/2387239

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