Chennai: The next time your child fails to finish homework on time, don’t scold him. The chances are he/she is already working twice as hard compared to students from other countries according to a survey by Cambridge.
Indian students cram more activities into their schedules than their peers in the 10 countries surveyed for Cambridge International’s Global Education Census 2018. Almost two-thirds of Indian students take extra tuition for key subjects after school, 72 per cent participate in extra-curricular activities, and 74 per cent say they play sports regularly in school, according to the census.
Cambridge International regional director (South Asia) Ruchira Ghosh said, “Indian students are investing in developing their knowledge and skills outside the classroom through extra-curricular activities and use supplementary learning resources.”
Career and Developmental Counselling at HVB, Lynn Eldered Menezes opined that teachers should not overburden the students.
Menezes said, “It is great to see the Indian students are on par with their global counterparts, however, teachers should ensure that homework and extra classes do not overly burden their students. Academic competitiveness is important and can make learning fun. The focus, however, should remain on the overall development including the Emotional Quotient which is more important.”
Global Education Census for 2018 was conducted to give an insight into what life is like in schools around the world today for students and their teachers. The survey was conducted with almost 20,000 teachers and students around the world, including 4,400 teachers and 3,800 students across India.
| KEY FINDINGS |
| * India and China have the highest number of students taking extra classes (58 per cent). * Debating is the most popular extracurricular activity (36 per cent), followed by science club (28 per cent), art (25 per cent) and book club (22 per cent. * Almost 74 per cent students surveyed play sports regularly. Badminton (37 per cent, football (30 per cent) and cricket (30 per cent) are top choices. * Indian parents very active – 66 per cent students say their parents ask about their school day and 41 per cent are active in PTA activities. This is the highest proportion globally. |