Bengaluru: Parents of CBSE students in the city are disturbed and upset. They have shot off a strongly worded letter to the CBSE chairman. The letter says he may want doctors and engineers. But that their children need to be kite flyers, gigglers, grandparent visitors, day dreamers, window shoppers, tabla players, tree climbers.
According to them, one Sunday is not enough for them to sleep late, unwind and recover their breath enough to take on the next high-pressured six days! The reason for such a strongly-worded letter: CBSE’s decision to make Saturday a full working day for students studying between Std VI and XII.
Till the last academic year, Saturday was a half day in all the CBSE schools for every class. Many schools even announced a holiday on Saturday by having more teaching hours for the rest of the week between Monday and Friday. But in this academic year, tens of CBSE affiliated schools in the city are holding full-day classes even on Saturdays for students between Std VI and XII, citing CBSE directives. This has angered the parents and students, who now want CBSE to withdraw its directives and announce Saturday as a half-day. They have started sending complaints to the CBSE chairman to act immediately.
Parents speaking to this newspaper, of students studying in various elite schools of Koramangala, Indiranagar, Richmondtown alleged that CBSE’s decision shows the autocratic manner in which the board is now functioning. “My son has driving, painting, football, cricket, carnatic music classes on Saturday. We family members can dine together only on Saturday nights. But this year my son is disappointed as he is missing all the classes.”
“ I don't know why CBSE has made Saturday a full day!” burst out a mother of a Std VI student. “If we speak openly the school issues a memo about discipline. But CBSE is not responding to our questions,” she alleged.
When contacted, the principal of a CBSE school said he was well aware of the problems faced by the students because of the increased working hours on Saturdays.
“Even the state government schools have a half- day on Saturday. We want MHRD to intervene. We are helpless,” he ended.
