Before exams, 70% Indian kids go sleepless

17 Feb 2018 10:08 AM | General
680 Report

Rote learning has made students in India anxious and sleepless, so much so that prime minister Narendra Modi felt the need to intervene on Friday, saying “Don’t focus on your studies so much that you cut off from what you like doing.” More than 70% students do not get the required seven hours of sleep in the weeks leading up to final examinations, with 18% sleeping only three to five hours a day, found a multi-city survey of close to 6,500 children.

Two in three students said that they had more homework and assignments than they could deal with. Many said they had no time to step out or talk to family and friends. An unhealthy lifestyle with little or no physical or social activity is increasing stress during examinations, found the survey done by Fortis healthcare across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Chandigarh and a dozen B-towns across India.

All work and no play

Around 86% of the children surveyed said that they could not spare 30 minutes a day for physical activities, and 68% said they spent less than one hour outdoors in the weeks leading up to exams. “What we have seen is that during exams, children completely restrict themselves to their rooms and homes, even when they are taking a break from study. Children must step out of home, even if it’s for 10 minutes between studying. Just stepping out in a balcony or terrace is far more relaxing than spending break time on social media,” said Dr Samir Parikh, director, department of mental health and behavioural sciences, Fortis healthcare. The survey found that 73% of the students get to spend less than an hour with their family, with only 1% spending more than three hours a day.

Courtesy: Hindustantimes

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