A survey reports that every seventh school going child wishes he was dead thanks to the heavy study load which does leave any space for activities beyond studies. In case they are not performing well, they are constantly ridiculed by teachers and pressurised by the parents to improve.
The concept of “bagless school” introduced by The Central Public Senior School in 1998 is a welcome change. The founders wanted to free children’s shoulders from the excessive educational baggage and have succeeded in doing so.
Now instead of turning pages, a new chapter starts with the aid of an LCD and projector. It is followed by a teacher talking of the main points of a lesson in a recorded voice. The children take on from there they do their academic assignments on computers. They are sent their homework via e mails which do on their home computer. Tests are also conducted online and the results processed are directly sent to the children.
The trend is catching on with many of the international schools teaching on the same lines. What is the future? Will conventional education slowly become extinct giving way to online education?