Why the CBSE and state boards are "reimagining" homework

Long linked to sheets of redoing math problems and essay composing, homework in Indian schools has increasingly become more varied and student-centered, reflecting wider changes in educational philosophy.

As Indian classrooms begin to implement new learning methods, the humble homework exercise is quietly transforming — from a dreaded chore to a potential tool for discovery, collaboration, and imagination.

Teachers indicate that homework, previously rooted in memorization, is being modified by policy shifts, online tools, and fresh approaches to teaching that promote original thinking, critical thinking, and child wellbeing, PTI reports.

Long ago, the amount of homework children were given has been recognized as a cause for concern.

The 2018 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) showed 74 per cent of Indian students in urban areas getting daily homework, while learning gaps persist, raising questions about the effectiveness of mere quantity.

As per the "10-Minute Rule" formulated by the National Parent Teacher Association (National PTA) and the National Education Association in the United States of America, kids need to be able to do about 10 minutes of homework nightly per grade level. That would translate to 10 minutes of homework for first graders and up to 120 minutes for twelfth graders.

Although homework as a concept has changed in India, in reality, most Indian students end up devoting 3-4 hours per day to homework.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which encourages minimizing the academic burden on students and facilitating activity-based learning, has helped to reverse the concept of homework, according to experts.

Since then, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and several state boards have issued circulars asking teachers to give students "pleasant, experimental, and application-based" assignments.

"Rather than merely seeking memorised information, homework more and more asks students to grasp the 'why' and 'how' of things. The students are nudged to learn by doing and in the process, activities like experiments, projects, and challenges of innovation are encouraged instead of mere reading of textbooks. The new approaches foster critical thinking, analysis, and interpretation of data, skills usually repressed by rote learning," a senior official of CBSE described.