New Delhi: The National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) has voiced its strong objection to pre-schools holding written and oral examinations and giving homework.
The education body under the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, which develops school curriculum, said such a practice is “undesirable” and is being done under pressure from parents, news agency PTI has reported.
“Currently we have in the country, pre-school programmes ranging from those that put children to a dull and monotonous routine to those where children are exposed to structured formal learning, often in English, made to do tests and homework and denied their right to play. These are undesirable and harmful practice that results from misguided parental aspiration,” a senior NCERT official was quoted by PTI as saying.
NCERT has, instead, suggested alternative methods to assess a student using different tools and techniques.
The official referred to a list of dos and dont’s which NCERT has prepared for pre-schools and needs to be followed by teachers in the evaluation process. They are as follows:
1. A teacher should make brief written notes based on observation of children.
2. The observation could include the time spent by children on different activities.
3. Developing social relationships.
4. Use of language
5. Mode of interaction
6. Information about health and nutrition habits.
The NCERT list has been prepared to discourage pre-schools from conducting examination on the little ones, in much the same fashion followed in elementary and primary classes. Pre-school exams have been rejected by various studies conducted by the HRD Ministry.