Minister Deepak Kesarkar says Maharashtra govt planning to do away with homework at schools

“Let us not overburden children. It is important to ensure development of their brain. Additionally, the government also feels that homework should not be an easy escape for teachers. Instead, a teacher should teach in his class with such focus that students should not need to do homework,” Deepak Kesarkar said in Pune.

Kesarkar said the proposal was in its initial stages and he would hold discussions with teachers associations to draft a final plan on the implementation of such an order.

The move, however, has been questioned by teachers’ organisations. “It is one thing to expect that the homework should be interesting and engaging for students and no burden on parents. But a blanket rule of having no homework at all is certainly harmful for the academic future for the students,” Vijay Kombe, state secretary of the Maharashtra Rajya Prathamik Shikshak Samiti (primary teachers’ association) said.

Mahendra Ganpule, spokesperson for the Maharashtra State Headmasters’ Association, said, “Practice is very important in any system of education. Homework is a form of periodical assessment of a student, else teachers will have to wait until unit tests to know a student’s academic growth. The teaching-learning that takes place in class is not enough, it is important for students to revise it at home.”

Teachers are also fearing that such a rule by the government, which will be mandatory for state-run schools, will cause their students to lag behind whereas private schools will continue with homework.