From weatherman to green warriors: Off-beat holiday homework ensures diverse roles for Haryana students

In line with the New Education Policy, Haryana government school students in Classes 1 to 5 have been assigned tasks, ranging from collecting seeds of fruits, to planting vegetables to even monitoring the weather. There are around 11 lakh students in Classes 1 to 5 in 8,300 government schools across the state

Haryana government school students will be a lot more aware of their environment, weather, family choices and household expenses when they return from the summer break, thanks to the off-beat homework they have been assigned this time.

The students have also been asked to collect seeds and plant them around their house. (Shutterstock)

In line with the New Education Policy, government school students in Classes 1 to 5 have been assigned tasks, ranging from collecting seeds of fruits, to planting vegetables to even monitoring the weather.

Anshaj Singh, state project director of Samagra Shiksha, said, “We have framed the holiday homework with the idea of promoting experience learning. This is in keeping with the New Education Policy and Haryana is the first state to follow it. We hope students get to learn new things while also enjoying their summer break.”

He revealed that there are around 11 lakh students in Classes 1 to 5 in 8,300 government schools across the state.

Weather watch, kitchen gardening

Students have been asked to prepare a list of dishes that are prepared during special occasions such as marriages and birthdays in the family and also note down the names of grains and utensils used in their household on a daily basis. Besides this, they will also be attempting to develop a green thumb as they will collect seeds of various fruits, including mango, and plant it around their house. They will also be keeping track of its growth by measuring its length on a daily basis.

The students will also be monitoring the weather, noting down the minimum and maximum temperature daily, recording the date and time of rains during the month. Besides, they will also be helping their parents drain out water from their homes after showers.

Bringing down screen time, connecting with grandparents

The schools are also exhorting students to develop good habits such as avoiding the use mobiles and TV during meal times. They have been instructed to observe a “digital fast” on at least a day. They will also have a chance to connect better with their grandparents. The students have been asked to compare and contrast the delicacies prepared during their wedding, the gold and silver jewellery they wore and its cost at time.

Students will also be drawing up a family tree and making a note of where their relatives are staying.

Speed, distance, time and cost

Students will be keeping tabs on how many hours the fan runs, how much electricity is consumed a day and the bill that they get at the end of the month.

Elementary students have also been asked down to note down the quantity of water buckets and per day consumption of their families. They will also be noting down the distance covered by their parents’ vehicles in a day and the fuel consumed.

Knowing the world around

Students have also been asked to visit the post-office, bus stand, railway station, grain market and vegetable market near their house. They will also learn the names of their village head, local MLA, chief minister, governor, Prime Minister and President.