A weight off shoulders

A new school plans to take the weight off the shoulders of its pupils with its ‘No homework – no private tuition’ slogan, writes Mai Al Khatib-Camille.

Students of the new Bahrain Indian School to be located in Abu Saiba, off the Budaiya Highway, will not have to carry bags full of text books as its management believes that home is only made for revision.

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Middle East chairman, NK Ramachandran, said: “Students will not need to carry big bags. They just need to be big enough to carry their lunches, water and other little things.

“Our working hours are 7.30am to 3.30pm which is enough time for the pupils to learn everything so that they do not have to take any work home with them. We will only give them one book a day to revise what they had learned. We have a time table of their studies and, based on that, we will give them that one book to take home.

“We have already implemented this strategy at our other schools in the GCC such as the UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Everyone was surprised when we first introduced it but we know that it works. Since then everyone has been happy.”

Health experts say children risk long-term and ultimately permanent damage if they regularly carry more than 15 per cent of their body weight over their shoulders.

One international campaigning charity claims many youngsters are carrying as much as 20 per cent of their weight to and from school, and some up to 25 per cent, and has welcomed the Bahrain Indian School’s stance.

Pupils in many schools routinely carry bags filled with heavy books, laptops, iPads, sports kit and packed lunches, which may weigh as much as 12kg.

Sean McDougall, of BackCare, said: “Children’s skeletons are still growing so carrying heavy bags can cause lasting damage,” he said.

The school, under the umbrella of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, India, is set to open next month. It also aims to take its pupils’ mental health into account as well as their physical well-being by eliminating any fear that students have when it comes to examinations.

Mr Ramachandran said: “On the last week of every month, we will have a test for the children. They won’t know what the test will be on. Only the principal will know and he will announce it on the day. That way the children will not be worried or stressed about studying for it. Besides, they will be revising every day. The fear of exams will disappear.”

Parents will also be able to monitor their children’s progress throughout the scholastic year by the use of BIS’s hi-tech IT facility. Each pupil will be allocated a profile online which the parents have access to.

That site will share what the students are studying throughout the week, what they have achieved from awards and so forth. Parents can also use the profile to update the administration on their child’s allergies or requirements.

They will also receive notifications of any updates via text and email.

The school will eventually be able to accommodate up to 2,000 students, from kindergarten to Grade 4, in 125 classrooms but will initially accept a maximum of 500 students. A new class will be added yearly and there are plans to expand in the next five years as well as to open a new senior campus.

For more details visit www.bhavansbahrain.com