Guest column | Content overload clogging kids’ mind

At times, even with the best interests of children at heart, parents, by overestimating their abilities and being overtly ambitious, end up exerting pressure on schools to increase the syllabus and the result is content overload.

It is almost time for the dispersal bell to ring, some parents are seated on benches under the shade of trees, while others are pacing around as they wait for their children to emerge from classrooms.

A fatigued mind cannot hold information for long. Children will learn facts only till the next assessment and thereafter more information will be piled up (Unsplash/Representative Image)

Rivya and Gina, the mothers of Class 6 students are engaged in an animated discussion about the curriculum. “The sheer volume of content is overwhelming. There are way too many topics in the syllabus and every topic is to be learnt in detail. To add to the woes of the little ones, there are constant tests and additional homework too,” says Rivya.

“Yes there is pressure, but children have to learn to handle it,” retorts Gina, adding, “Let them cope up. It will hold them in good stead for their board exams. Besides, other schools in the city have the same workload, if not more. I have done my research. “

“And how do you suppose they will process all this information? They are simply filling up the pages of notebooks and memorising it all,” insists Rivya.

“That is how it is supposed to be. This is the best system. No wonder Indians after studying here are doing wonders abroad,”says an adamant Gina. The bell rings and both of them walk towards the children streaming out of the school building.

The conversation plays on in Rivya’s mind as she drives back home with her little one and goes about the rest of the day.

At times, even with the best interests of children at heart, parents, by overestimating their abilities and being overtly ambitious, end up exerting pressure on schools to increase the syllabus and the result is content overload. Scoring high marks is the main objective, which is padded with pressure from all sides – peers, teachers and parents.

This generation is expected to stay abreast with recent developments, especially the ones brought in by technology, while at the same time being bound by books. There has been a tendency to include new content items in the curriculum in response to new societal demands without appropriate adjustment of other parts of the syllabus.

Content overload or infobesity has led to children having way too much to learn and it can have adverse consequences.

1. Mental Fatigue :

Making children fill pages after pages of notebooks, memorising it all and regular testing is sending the brains of children into an overdrive. With the curriculum becoming heavier after each term, the children’s mind cannot cope with the ocean of information it has to consume. When one constantly asks the brain to do more than what it is capable of, the result is always mental fatigue. This is bound to weaken their memory and problem solving ability, two skills in a child every parent would rather want sharpened.

A fatigued mind cannot hold information for long. Children will learn facts only till the next assessment and thereafter more information will be piled up. It will not leave impressions on their subconscious mind. Let’s not overlook the fact that subconscious mind is the data bank for everything. Children will not be able to unlock the power of their subconscious mind if it is cluttered with too much content.

2. Reduced attention span

School time tables are crammed with study periods of core subjects and fewer lighter periods like music, art, and dance. On any given day, children need to concentrate on different tasks in an environment that can be overstimulating. No wonder they zone out and stop paying attention after a while because the human minds are not designed to take in so much of content. They might often appear to be dazed or lost in thought. To overcome situations like these, info has to be presented in more digestible portions so that children absorb it better, and with short breaks in between to help build recall.

3. Underdeveloped thinking skills

Children need time to reflect on all the information they are accumulating. While feeding endless information into their minds, we need to give their brain time to process it, so that all they learn in school can later be applied in their professional life. This can only happen if they understand facts and ideas but also the meaning and connection behind them.

If this processing does not take place, the result is quite similar to what happens when we accumulate fat in our body and don’t exercise to burn it off.

The way forward

NCERT, in recent years, has aimed to cut down the textbook content to relieve the students. The Union minister has said on record that the target is to gradually achieve a 50% reduction in the curriculum without affecting the learning outcomes. This would make way for more time and efforts on holistic education, which includes physical education, value education, life skills education and experiential learning.

The CBSE line of thought too favours lightening of load.

The world will be very different when the school children of today step into the outside world after their formal education is complete. All stakeholders – parents, teachers and school heads must ensure that they go prepared for the world that would exist then. It is 2022 and children walking to schools with heavy bags on their back is a sign in itself that the current formal education is not moving in the right direction .

rupymand@gmail.com

( The writer is a Jalandhar-based freelance contributor)