“I imagine a school with no exams, no homework, allows me to test any project in my science labs, run off to the sports field at will and have teachers discussing subjects instead of forcing me to learn by rote”. This is the dream of 13-year-old S.Nanditha, a class 7 student of a Chennai school. Millions of kids, weighed down by excessive bookish syllabi, must be sharing that dream.

When a 15-year-old boy stabbed his teacher in a Chennai school for faulting his academic performance, many cursed him. Not many seem to accept that the true villain is the stressful educational system. Child rights activists say the Thursday murder must serve as an alarm bell for governments and educationists to devise a child-friendly academic system that guarantees holistic development stretching beyond the classrooms.

“In the classroom, the child is always asked to listen, take down notes and reproduce that in the exams. There would be better bonding with the teacher if there is sharing of thoughts and lively discussions,” says child rights specialist A. Devaneyan.

At the same time, he adds, the child is exposed to dangerous media in the form of video games, movies and TV shows that glamourise violence. “This causes stress which the child is unable to vent out due to the crowded classroom regimen. Sometimes the fuse blows.“

According to pediatrician Dr Manorama, state child welfare committee chairperson, there is now urgent need to flush out the excessive stress from the classrooms and make them child-friendly through a `joyous mix' of studies, games, field trips and participatory discussions. “This murder must warn us that some systemic flaws could have pushed that kid to commit the heinous crime. The warning bell rings loud.“

-dc chn