We keep reading about
70’s & 80’s where children could play in the open and how world has changed
since then. Yes technology might have made it difficult to move a child out of
the home, but most importantly our own will to demand things is the main cause
for the present state of affairs.
Except for some noted
schools which have not succumbed to the commercial interests, some play area is
still available, but most of the new gen schools don’t even have space for
parking of vehicles of the staff, leave alone play areas.
When it comes to
public spaces where children can go and play we have very minimal availability,
except in the old planned development areas like Anna Nagar, CIT colony,
Ghandinagar etc we could find some parks but otherwise nothing much. In the
name of development even that space is usurped and we are only silent
spectators for these whole tamasha. In Bengaluru in addition to the two major
lung spaces in the heart of the city Cubbon Park & lal Bagh most of the new
layouts have got parks and also have enough space in the land earmarked for
setting up schools for play areas.
Today we are planning
Greater Chennai, we have innumerable legal illegal layouts all around the city
with 20’ roads and no public spaces and these are going to be part of the
future of Chennai. Even the regulated OSR space can be purchased by the
developer by paying a premium, so where is that we are going to see some green
space in future.
Our city is reported
to have about 4000 public & private schools and I can wager a bet that not
even 10% will have play areas. When will the planners of the city have the
forethought to plan ahead. Some of the present day developers are actually
showing the way. To market their properties they are asking city schools to set
up branches in their project land. While this could ensure some play areas in those
schools, it is time city planners take some drastic steps.
·
There
should be minimum guidelines for starting a school with stipulation for play
areas.
·
Existing
schools to be made to comply with the rules
·
If schools
have to go to suburbs to comply with rules, so be it.
·
There is
anyway RTE act to ensure admission for all classes of children in such schools
which are in city and are complying with rules.
No doubt it will hurt
us because we have to either shift our homes to the suburbs or send our
children on a long commute every day, if it is all for, our own family members health
why not, we have to make these sacrifices.
This will actually
help de-congest the city and ensure healthy growth of the suburbs, even the
city planners can plan for infra keeping the commuting requirement of the
population of the city and people living in suburbs.
Disclaimer: All the pictures used in this blog are properties of the respective copy right owners and have been used only to depict the plight of the Indian child
Disclaimer: All the pictures used in this blog are properties of the respective copy right owners and have been used only to depict the plight of the Indian child
Vindication of the views, from TOI
ReplyDeleteCHILDREN’S DAY
Kids struggle to find study-play balance
Psychologists Believe That Because Of This, Learning Will Not Be Integrated With A Student’s Personality
Rhik Kundu | TNN
Bangalore: Fourteen-year-old Akshita Kaushik, a Class 10 student, leaves for school at 8am and returns home at 4pm. She hurries away for her 5pm tuitions which go on till 7pm. On coming back, she finishes her school work and prepares for the next day. Her guitar and drawing classes? Only on Sunday.
Twelve-year-old Pranoti C has 13 friends in her Sarjapur apartment block. “But not one child comes and plays with me on weekdays. All go for tuitions after school. I end up playing games on my dad’s iPad,’’ she says.
And you thought you had a busy day at the office.
The 4pm-6pm playtime is gone in many neighbourhoods. Cutthroat competition – for coveted colleges and professional courses – is forcing youngsters, especially high-school students, pore over books all the time. Non-academic activities, which shape human personality, are taking the back seat.
“High-school students need to prepare for competitive as well as board examinations. However, they need to develop a regular routine and also take part in extracurricular activities,” says Manju Sharma, principal, Delhi Public School, South, Bangalore, adding, “They need to find ways to relax so they don’t stress themselves out.”
Experts say there’s no ideal number of hours for study -- it depends on the ability to grasp concepts and the balance between academics and co-curricular activities. Like Pradeep Gopalkrishnan, 17, of St Joseph’s Boys high School, who spends 7-8 hours studying before examinations. The youngster, who wants to do research in astronomy, plans to appear for the IIT entrance test.
“I pay as much attention as possible in class. Only before examinations and weekends I spend most of my time studying. Most evenings are for completing school work and coaching for competitive exams,” he says.
Psychologists are alarmed at this trend which is why our country doesn’t rank very high among innovative nations.
“If students study 10 hours a day, without indulging in extracurricular activities, they can pass examinations with high grades. The immediate casualty is that learning doesn’t get integrated in their personality and its application in personal life suffers,” says clinical psychologist M S Thimmappa.
“The creativity and innovation quotient of children suffer if they focus only on academics,” he adds.
Nevertheless, some kids manage to pull it off. Seventeen-yearold Akhila Jayaram, a Times Scholar, who recently got a SAT score of 2200 out of 2400, and secured 96% in Class 10, says the secret is to maintain a balance between academics and extracurricular activities.
“You can’t cut yourself off from the world while preparing for examinations. Though you have to study regularly, once you reach the saturation point, take a break and do something you like,” says the youngster who’s also a proficient keyboard player and footballer.