The Hindu : New Delhi News : School entrance tests pose a health hazard

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 13, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

School entrance tests pose a health hazard

NEW DELHI, OCT. 12. The lethal cocktail of a battery of admission tests and interviews for admission to schools is taking a heavy toll on children's physical and emotional health, doctors warn.

Admission tests and interviews of little children for Nursery and KG classes as well as coaching in preparatory schooling was harmful for the kids, paediatricians said on affidavit in Delhi High Court.

Nursery and KG admission procedures of many leading schools in the Capital put very young children to gruelling tests and interviews, including elements of formal learning like numbers, and alphabets which the kids should actually be learning in subsequent years, the doctors said.

Parents unnecessarily pressurise their children and preparatory schools also focus on formal teaching, which was seldom required. It should be understood that forcing formal learning was counter-productive at this small age, the affidavit said quoting a study conducted by the doctors.

Paediatricians highlighted the negative impact of early schooling on the physical, mental and emotional health of children.

The study showed a rising trend of behavioural problems like bed-wetting, teeth grinding and temper tantrums in 1/5th of the children, who were pushed into schooling at a very tender age.

Children were too young to handle the separation from the secure home environment. Many of the children start getting disturbances in their sleep pattern and having nightmares, the affidavit said.

Twenty-two per cent of the children below four years were still bottle-fed before they wake up as there was a very little time for breakfast, it said.

The study revealed that a child had 33.2 minutes at an average to get ready for school in the morning. As a result 82 per cent of school children have no time to have `motions' in the morning.

Incidence of recurrent respiratory infections and fevers was increasing as a result of overcrowded classrooms of the street corner preparatory schools, it added.

Pain in the hands, back and legs was noticed in 1/5th of the children because of excessive writing work and disproportionately heavy weight of school bag, it said further.

Making them sit for long hours in crammed chairs and desks inhibits their body movements and ability to explore their environment, which was extremely detrimental, the affidavit stated.

The study brought out that children below the age of five years could not be expected to read or write. All that they could possibly do was copy a circle or a cross.

Children below the age of five when exposed to formal learning like reading, writing and arithmetic do so by rote or photographic memory which is very well developed at this age, but as they do not comprehend different shapes and sizes, they do not have much comprehension of letters and numbers and hence have to re-learn everything at the age of six or seven years, it said.

By bombarding their brains with formal learning at a young age they were deprived of stimulating environmental learning experiences which should be the major source of learning at this age and from which they benefit, the doctors said.

``Play and activity-based methodology (as opposed to formal academic coaching) should not only be part of the pre-school and nursery and KG but also for class I and II.''

The affidavit came in response to a petition challenging the admission test and interview of three to five-year-old children for admission to nursery and KG classes and seeking to implement policy of giving preference/admission to students living within three km radius of a school through `draw of lots'.

On October 4, prompted by the school admission frenzy, the Government had informed the High Court that it is consulting various experts and agencies concerned to hammer out a smooth procedure for admission of kids to the nursery classes.

Additional Solicitor General Amrender Saran sought three weeks to come out with detailed suggestions on the issue after consulting psychologists and sociologists besides all departments concerned in this regard.

A division bench comprising Justices D.K. Jain and S. Ravindra Bhat thereafter posted the matter for hearing to November 1.

The National Institute of Education, Planning and Administration will also give its suggestions on the subject.

On September 22, the Centre had informed the High Court that it was considering the issue very seriously and urgently.

Attorney General Milon Banerjee and Mr Saran told the division bench that inputs on the systems/procedures from foreign countries were also being collected. Therefore, time was sought from the Court to place on record some kind of mechanism in this regard by today.

On August 31, the High Court had issued notice to the Attorney General seeking his assistance for smoothening the admission procedure to nursery classes. The division bench called for the AG's assistance in view of the importance of the matter.

The judges also directed all bodies/individuals/schools who were interested in assisting the Court on the issue to file their submissions in the form of affidavits.

On July 26, the High Court had issued notice to the Union Human Resources Development Secretary and the National Institute of Education, Planning and Administration seeking their assistance in the regard.

The bench had issued a notice to the Secretary HRD Ministry's Elementary Education Department and NIEPA while giving a further four weeks to all schools to respond to the Court's call for assistance in the matter.

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