Maharashtra govt wants kids to get some sleep!

Citing that sleep is important for students of lower classes, the state education department is contemplating changing school timings for pre-primary and primary sections. The thought behind this is that early classes might deprive students of enough sleeping hours. School education minister Deepak Kesarkar himself suggested this last week during his address at an event in Pune organised by the educational trust Progressive Education Society.

Kesarkar said, "A majority of schools in cities operate in two to three shifts. As a result, the first shift begins relatively early. School begins as early as 7 am in the state. However, adequate sleep is essential for these children's brain development and overall development." The minister added, "In light of this, changes to the morning schedules of pre-primary and primary schools are being considered. However, the final decision will be made only after consulting with educationists, experts, school management, and teachers."

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Officials from the education department called it a mere suggestion. "Before taking any decision we would want to look at timings and models followed by other states for now and how it works; consult educationists and experts to understand their views on this. Many schools have multiple divisions of one grade. Besides this, they give choice to parents whether they want to opt for a morning batch or afternoon. All this needs to be worked out before making any decision," said a senior official.

In neighbouring Karnataka, all schools registered under the Karnataka Education Act are required to open between 8 am and 8.30 am. However, some private schools still start earlier, from 7 am to 7.30 am. On September 22, the Commissioner of the Department of Public Instruction ordered officers to take action against private schools opening early, flouting the rule.

Swati Popat Vats, the founder and director of Podar Jumbo Kids, said, "I am sure this move is being contemplated as children's brains work better in the mid-morning. Brain science says learning is most effective when the brain is in acquisition mode, generally between 10 am and 2 pm and then again from 4 pm. to 10 pm. But this research is relatively new and we have had generations of children studying and excelling in schools that start at 7 am. I think more important than the timing of the school, is the time at which children go to bed. The brains of school-age children and teens on average need about 9.5 hours of sleep per night. So it is this lack of sleep that is contributing to a lack of focus and moodiness in schools and not the early timing of the schools."

‘Gurukuls started early'

In ancient India, Vats said, Gurukuls had to be up by 5 in the morning and perform Gangasnan along with Suryanandanam at sunrise. Then began the chanting of the Gayatri Mantra followed by Surya Namaskar and yoga. "This was followed by text studying or class until pre-noon or by 11.20 am as per the modern clock... So I would say even if schools start early they should focus on activities like physical, social and emotional development in the morning and focus and cognitive activities from mid-morning."

Vats, who is also the president of the Early Childhood Association and Association of Primary Education and Research, explained, "Because changing school timings will lead to a lot of issues for working families and as a developing economy we need two-income families. So I would suggest changing bedtime and changing the timetable instead of changing the timing, which can lead to stress in many families and as we know stress is not conducive to the brain."

7 am
When most schools open in the state