National Achievement Survey report for Classes 3, 5, and 8 states that 74.3 per cent of Indian teachers still use homework as a tool to assess students in daily lessons, reports Times of India.

The survey that covered the nation’s government and private schools stated that only 24.3 per cent of teachers use project-based or experiential learning to assess students, with the majority using written and oral tests.

Rajasthan, at 93 per cent mark, tops the list of states where teachers used homework alone to assess students. Tamil Nadu tops the list where importance is given to project work (67 per cent). Karnataka has 83 per cent teacher concentrating on homework with only 39 per cent focusing on project work.

Niranjan Aaradhya, VP, fellow at the Centre for Child and Law at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), says that the finding is worrying and goes against the guidelines of National Curriculum Framework (NCF).

The NCF talks about imparting knowledge in different ways with more experiential learning with due change in the methodology of teaching. He adds that to implement project work, the 30 minute period is too short and believes it must be extended to 45 minutes, thus reducing the amount of work that is transferred to the home.

Nagasimha G. Rao, a child and Right To Education activist, says that the schooling system and parents depend on homework. He suggests that focusing on classroom learning and reducing the weight of bags can get rid of the rampant homework system, thus giving students some leisure time.