Pune student works on school project past midnight, father calls out ‘rotten system’

A Pune man sparked debate after sharing a video of his son staying up past midnight for school projects, criticising the pressure of the education system.

A Pune-based man has ignited a conversation around school stress and excessive homework after sharing that his eighth-grade son is often awake past midnight to complete school assignments.

A Pune father’s post on his son’s late-night project work went viral. (X@niteen_india)

Niteen S Dharmawat, investor and co-founder of Aurum Capital, posted a short clip of his son working late into the night. He wrote, “As a parent, I'm feeling so helpless with this rotten system. Whatever I was against, I have to face it for my kid now.” In another part of the post, Dharmawat added, “Terror is such that if he doesn't do it, he won't be allowed to participate in his favourite PE period. Every day he is awake till 12–12:30. As a parent, I'm feeling so helpless from this rotten system. Whatever I was against I have to face it for my kid now.”

Check out the post here:

Speaking with HT.com, Dharmawat confirmed that the school is located in Pune and follows the CBSE syllabus. His statement resonated with many parents online who said they had faced similar situations with their children being overburdened by homework and project work.

Social media reactions reflect collective frustration

The clip quickly gained traction on social media, sparking a wave of reactions from users. One user commented, “Teachers get it done for their own approvals and performance rating.” Another wrote, “This is the same story all over India. Those projects are useless and worthless and serve no purpose in real life ever.” A contrasting view came from one user who said, “Project work is a powerful method of learning. Projects are always interdisciplinary.”

Some parents shared their own experiences. “Couldn’t agree more… most of these projects are not only a sheer waste of time, but also of precious resources like paper,” one person remarked. Another added, “Homework should be illegal worldwide.”